Love Me Back
by Cresenta's Lark
Summary: That old, empty mansion had always scared Sam so she had avoided it all her life. But on Halloween when Scam runs into that same mansion during an escape, she has no choice but to follow him. And what she finds is more than she could have ever imagined...


I'm still alive! jk. I know it's been a while since I posted ANYTHING but I was hard at work finishing my Halloween (yes it's sad I am this late but it's school's fault) fic :D **This is IT. **

I finalllllyyyyyyyyyy finished it!

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies is owned by Yabadabadoo! inc. **(. Just watched the Flintstones Christmas Special hehehe. :P But you all know what "inc." it is so not bothering to fix that tidbit :P)

**Note!: **This story is rated T though some of the violent parts (It's a HALLOWEEN fic people) may be "M ish" nothing too scary though, I promise. :)

**Note 2: **This is** NOT **my Christmas fic, nor is this replacing my Xmas fic. I have that one all planned and ready to write now that I'm done this and it will be LATE ( :( sorry) **BUT **it** WILL **be up in December still, if not then definitely by **January 9th! **:D

And you can expect updates on hopefully ALL my other fics as well coming in January so...Remember Me?, Proposal, Unlikely Intrusion, Hostile Unity, Rough Waters, Evil 101..etc...

Oh andddddddd there is a **sequel coming up! **You don't' get to know which one it is yet _BUT_ it's long overdue (that's your hint :D )

K, shutting up now so you guys can read.

**Dedication:** _Poison's Ivy _and I had a lot of fun while discussing this story and she really loved it (Thank you Ivy :D) So I'm dedicating this to her for being awesome as always! :D

Please Read and Review everyone! Thanks, Enjoy! :D:D

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><p>His boots went "clack", "clack", "clack," over and over again as he kept running, just running without stopping. Keeping her eyes on his form she followed behind him breathlessly, close but not quite close enough.<p>

"He's getting away!" She heard from a couple of feet behind her, announcing what she could already see was happening. Tim Scam was escaping all over again. It was almost like a nightmare. Their pouring all their hard work into catching him, so many tiring days and sleepless nights into guarding him, only to have him get away the moment they blinked their eyes. It was like he was a ghost, a shadow that always seemed to slip through their fingers. And watching him be outside of his cell again Sam had no idea how he always got away. All she knew was that he just did, each and every time as if nothing in the world could hold him back now and never, ever would.

But she was determined to try again and force him back in his cell and hope that this time the WOOHP guards could keep him there, so that was just what she was going to do. Ignoring the pain she felt in her aching legs and burning lungs, she kept chasing after him. Sometime after she heard Clover get stuck in the trap she had dodged and then Alex go down in another, letting her know she was the last person left who could stop him now. And she would not let Jerry and her friends down.

Seeing him run out of the building Sam took a deep breath in before racing after him out onto the chilly, rainy, October street. The dried leaves crunched under her feet as she hurried along, whizzing past rows and rows of red-leafed, yellow-leafed, brown-leafed, brittle fall trees that shook in the biting wind and past the store displays and houses decorated with figurines and paper hangings made of crepe paper, and construction paper in the colours yellow, orange, black, red and brown. Of skeletons, witches, black cats, vampires, ghouls , ghosts, cauldrons, zombies, bats, spider webs, the whole atmosphere around her reminding her of what day it was. The end of the month, October 31st, Halloween.

A small frown formed on her lips and she shot a glare at the black trench coat that was fluttering in the wind before her as Scam kept going tirelessly. She couldn't help but be more annoyed than she normally was running after this criminal because today was Halloween, a holiday, a day when there were parties and candy and fun and she was stuck here, on the afternoon of one of the biggest days of the year, chasing after her nemesis Tim Scam like she did everyday.

_"This isn't fair," _Sam couldn't help but think as she inhaled and exhaled to keep up her oxygen level so she could keep going. While she was determined to do her job right, she couldn't help but be downright aggravated for this. Before Jerry had called and let them know that Scam had gotten out (AGAIN), Clover, Alex and her had been in their costumes, Clover dressed as a princess in a pink, taffeta gown, Alex as a vampiress in a black, flowing robe and herself as the Corpse Bride in a long, white, and blue tinged gothic wedding dress, ready to go to the biggest costume party ever held in Beverly Hills. But now all their plans were ruined. They had already been pursuing Scam for hours and it didn't look like he was ready to give up.

_"If we're lucky,"_ Sam thought, with a tired sigh. _"Then we'll have caught Scam in time to at least take Norm trick-or-treating," _she thought unhappily because Clover's brother Norm was pretty annoying and they had thought they'd have the entire day to enjoy before they got stuck taking him door to door to demand candy. But compared to Tim Scam, or as she liked to think of him, the devil incarnated, Norm was an innocent angel descended from heaven, and that was what was making her think of at least going trick-or-treating with him as a nice contrast to what was turning out to be a very tiresome Halloween.

Trying to stay positive, Sam told herself all she had to do was throw him in jail and then it would be all over. She honestly hoped it would be that simple and wouldn't get worse, though there was something in her gut that had been panging ever since he had gotten out today that he was going to do something to cause more trouble than he normally did. Needless to say that was an obvious cause for concern. Sam pushed those thoughts down and looked back up to find Scam because he seemed to have slipped away as his fast footsteps that had been giving her company had stopped. A moment later she was ready to scream out in agony at having lost him by being distracted by her thoughts and inability to keep up, when she finally spotted him running straight ahead towards the building before her.

And when her eyes landed on the building, she skidded to a stop and her breath froze in her lungs like ice while goose bumps trickled up and down her spine out of fear and anxiety. "...That idiot!" Sam spat through gritted teeth as her fists clenched at her sides and she stood frozen in place. Couldn't Scam have picked any other house to hide inside of than the famously rumoured to be haunted mansion of 1313 Orpheus Ave.?

Gulping, Sam looked at the excessively large, ominous-looking mansion that was standing stretched out in her neighbourhood just as it had been for as long as she could ever remember. It was an old mansion, and from what she remembered people even went as far as saying it had been here for a century at the least. Yet it was in perfect, prime condition. As if it had been built just yesterday.

The mansion's large, circular windows were clean under the sun's illuminating gaze, not a spot of dirt or dust nor a cobweb anywhere, and it's cherry brown bricks were evenly in place, not one missing or broken but instead smooth and polished while the large, black, wrought-iron, arrow-pointed gates that wrapped around it were the ebony black of a fresh coat of ink. And if that was not enough to indicate that something was off for a hundred-year old, completely abandoned mansion to be unearthly well-preserved, even the grass on the large lawn was trimmed and perfect and green as if it was mowed just an hour before.

Another chill passed through Sam's skin as she remembered all the rumours she had heard about this place that always made her nervous. She had heard stories of people going into this mansion and never coming back. She had heard of cases upon cases being filed in the past of those people who had decided to wander in and had gone missing, never to be found again. Of strange noises, voices, and by now even she, a logical, rational-minded girl, was convinced the house was haunted by some terrible, bloodthirsty ghost.

That was why she had done what was best and stayed away from it , despite the mansion being a source of extreme curiosity especially on Halloween day, which was the day many people, who did not know better were tempted by the mansion's spooky stories and dared each other to go in. But she had been smarter and steered clear of it all her life, and being smart still, she had no intention of going anywhere near it now. With the rumours of disappearances around this mansion in mind, Sam opened her mouth and yelled to get Scam's attention who was now mounting the steps that led to the main, arched door. "Scam!" She yelled, trying to get him to stop. "Don't go in there!" she screamed but it seemed that either he did not hear her, or that he did not care because in the next moment he had seized the doorknob of the door, twisted it, and ran inside.

"Dammit!" Sam hissed, kicking the pavement at where she stood out of frustration and rage. He never DID listen did he? Glaring at him in her mind, Sam was half tempted to not go in and let Scam face the ghosts of the mansion alone until she remembered that Scam was looking to escape and if she didn't go get him, he would get just what he wanted. Muttering under her breath, Sam knew she had to go after him and she took a step closer to the mansion before her fear stopped her again.

Raising her head she let her eyes trail over the structure again, and she gulped when she thought she saw the patch of clouds above the pointed roof turn a ghostly shade of grey and a shadow flicker in the topmost window. Once again the stories of ghosts plagued her mind, her feet freezing at the memory of reports of people gone missing but she quickly shoved those thoughts aside and convinced herself that she was a super spy and she had to do her job and the mansion was not going to eat her...until just as long as she reached the doorway.

Standing before the curved, oak door, Sam's throat went dry again as she studied the ornate doorknob she had to use to get inside. The curved, metal handle was hanging through what were clearly the teeth of a relief carving of a male face. It didn't take her more than a second after seeing the large teeth and the two horns that pronged out of the forehead of the figure to realize that she was staring at an eerie depiction of the king of demons, the Devil. Staring at the stone-coloured handle that was scaring her immensely, Sam took a deep breath in, calming herself down as she closed her eyes and ignored the image as she grabbed the handle and slipped inside the mansion in a quick tug. Once she was inside, Sam released the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. She didn't dare look around the place and just kept her eyes straight ahead to locate Scam. A moment later, she was relieved to see him walking nearby in the same hall that she was in.

Wanting to get out of here as soon as possible, but feeling the need to yell at him for forcing her to come into this cursed place, Sam raced over to him and tugged on his arm, drawing his attention to her. Scam's eyes widened then narrowed into slits of annoyance when he saw her. "Oh great, you again," he muttered, shaking his head and Sam rolled her eyes at his obvious frustration at her having located him. "Couldn't you have found a better to try and hide inside of?" she screamed shrilly, getting right to the point. Looking at her innocently, Scam shrugged. "What's wrong with this mansion?"

Resisting the urge to rip her hair out from frustration at his stupid question, Sam rolled her eyes before she shot him a glare and spoke in a peeved tone. "It's haunted, smartass." Watching her quietly for a moment, Scam's left eyebrow took a moment to shoot up before he erupted into a fit of laughter. Watching him chuckle Sam blinked not understanding what he was laughing at. Waiting for him to explain himself, she got tired a few moments later when he wouldn't stop and decided to ask him. "What's so funny?" Holding a hand over his mouth, Scam tried to calm his laughter, shaking his head and chuckling some more before he finally answered her. "A smart, educated, logical girl like you believing in ghost stories?" he said, looking her teasingly in her eyes and smirking. "Who would have thought?"

Sam's mouth formed a fast frown at his words and she opened her mouth to call him an annoying bastard when the loud sound of something slamming shut rattled the walls around her. And when the hall plunged into darkness, Sam realized, with a mountain of ice settling in her stomach, that the main door had closed on its own. Going pale immediately, Sam slowly turned her head back to Scam and whispered. "Well it's not haunted..." she said, trying not to jump at the word. "...Then how do you explain what just happened?"

Looking as careless as ever, Scam yawned before speaking in a lazy drawl. "Electrical failure. It's an old house; I'm surprised it stayed up so long." Rolling her eyes again, Sam pointed a finger at the door before screaming at the unbearable man. "I mean the door locking!" Sam howled. Throwing her an unimportant glance, Scam crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "You...don't know if it's locked," he said slowly. Glaring at his smartass remark, Sam quickly marched over to the door and pulled on the handle. She pulled as hard as she could, baring her teeth and it didn't take her too long to have her doubts confirmed. The door was jammed and could not be opened. She was right.

Going back over to Scam, Sam glared hatefully before screaming at him. "Now what, wise guy?" she taunted. "Wanna blame electricity here too?" Running a hand through his hair tiredly, Scam shrugged before speaking nonchalantly. "I bet it's just a couple of kids who locked the door in an attempt to try and scare a couple of grown-ups on Halloween." His eyes flickered over to her as a mischievous smirk touched his lips. "Or maybe they just want us to make out," he added in leaving Sam's face to turn red from fury. "Shut up!" she yelled, glaring at him hotly and leaving him to chuckle again. Watching his amusement at having made her angry again, Sam cursed at him with every bad word she knew in her mind before she took a deep breath, cleared her head and spoke to him again. "What are we going to do now?" she asked shivering, knowing they were stuck in a haunted house. Holding her arms around herself, Sam bit her cheek. "We're trapped inside this haunted mansion-"

"It's not haunted," Scam interrupted firmly in response, leaving Sam to scowl at his unwillingness to believe the truth. Scam was really a pain sometimes. No, scratch that. ALL THE TIME. Couldn't he tell there was something just...off about the place he was standing in right now? Didn't he have instincts? Not understanding him at all, Sam voiced her confusion. "How come you're not afraid?" she asked. A small chuckle escaped Scam at her words, before he laughed, literally throwing his head back and laughing in a series of hard, breathy chuckles. When he was done, he craned his head forward and looked her in the eye before saying, "You expecting ME to be afraid?"

Ignoring his dead, mocking tone Sam only nodded her head. "Yea, I was..." she said as she glanced around the walls of the dark hallway and tried not to shiver at the thoughts of the invisible eyes that could very well be watching her right this moment while planning her demise. "Seeing that none of us are probably going to get out of here." She went paler and her voice became quieter. "Not according to the stories anyway." Cocking an eyebrow, Scam spoke in an all-too-amused tone while watching her face closely. "You been reading too many ghost bedtime stories?" he asked teasingly. Letting out a huff, Sam sharply turned her eyes to his face and glared. "NOT bedtime stories, IDIOT!" she roared. "Word gets around, and unlike YOU, I happen to be out in society long enough to hear things and that's how I know this house is dangerous!" she yelled, making reference to just how much time this man spent either locked up in jail or hiding in his mysterious hideouts that took WOOHP days, sometimes months to track him down to.

Not phazed at all by Sam's outburst, Scam spoke calmly. "If being out in society turns you into such a..." his eyes dripped up and down her form, taking in her obvious shivers from being trapped in this house and a smirk crossed his face before he continued. "...Scaredy-cat..." he said teasingly while stretching his arms out and folding them behind his head and smirking harder as he looked her straight in the eye. "Then I'm happier being all alone in the darkness." Rolling her eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time Sam spoke in an irritated, accusing hiss. "You'd think a man would know when to bottle his arrogance." Scam's lips only quirked up into a larger smirk at her words. "And a woman, her fear?" he retorted.

Glaring daggers at him, Sam crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive way. "Yea I'm afraid," she spat. "And unlike YOU I admit it," she said, and they way she said it made it clear to Scam that she expected him to be scared just like she was right now and was annoyed that he wasn't. "There is a reason I'm not afraid, you know," Scam said in his defence. Letting out a scoff at his words, Sam shook her head. "Oh? And what is that?" she said indignantly, shooting him a belittling look. "You're too big of an arrogant jackass to admit things?" Smirking at her wrong answer, Scam shook his head, letting her know she had it all wrong. "Nope," he said curtly. "Because I know ghosts, spirits, demons are nothing to fear." His smirk hardened on his face. "That, plus the fact that I am impervious to pain, fear, and so on," he said, in a matter-of-fact tone, as if that was obvious as anything else known to be a true fact that could not be argued.

Pissed off with his self-worship over his "tough guy" image, Sam huffed before placing her hands on her hips and glaring. "Yea, you're a real macho aren't you?" she said, ignoring the way the obvious muscles on his arms were rippling as he held them behind his head, and the way his white shirt was plastered against his chest thanks to his stretch pose, and showing off his strong abdomen. Pointing an accusing finger at him, she sneered. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts when you're staring a ghost in the face!" Moving his arms and putting his hands up in mock defeat Scam looked at Sam with nothing but amusement on his face. "Oooh, I'm so scared," he said sarcastically, topping it off with a fake shudder that annoyingly matched her real one at being stuck here.

"Whatever!" Sam screamed loudly in annoyance before her voice echoed off the walls and came back to her, reminding her to keep quiet unless she wanted to catch some dead being's dangerous attention. Closing her mouth, Sam tried to fight off her paleness by rubbing her arms up and down. She spoke after a moment, but in a quiet, hushed tone. "It's so cold in here..." she said, noticing both the way her rubbing her arms was doing absolutely nothing to warm her spy-suit covered skin and the wisps of white smoke that were emitting from her mouth every time she opened her mouth to even breathe. Going paler at what unnatural coldness meant, she gulped before adding in,"...That's characteristic of haunted places."

His eyes widening, Scam held up a hand to get her attention before speaking in a shocked tone. "Whoa!" he said, disbelief everywhere on his features. "You been reading up on Paranormal bullshit?" Shooting her head up, Sam glared at him hotly. She hated, no absolutely loathed the way he was making it sound like she was some kind of ghost fanatic that had subscriptions to magazines like Paranormal Weekly and Beyond Investigation."Hmm..." Scam said, holding his chin between his thumb and index finger in a thoughtful way. "I guess you'd know how it would feel when a ghost is right next to you then, right?" he said, continuing to mock her with no regard for how willing she was looking right now to tear him apart with her bare hands. Giving her a mock, innocent look he spoke again. "Or do they not tell you that in your guide books?" he said, his innocent look disappearing behind his mean smirk.

Finally having had enough, Sam screamed threateningly. "SHUT UP SCAM!" she yelled. Rolling back his shoulders, Scam just let out a low chuckle. "Why?" he said from in between his laughter. "I might wake up the ghosts?" Narrowing her eyes into slits of rage, Sam hissed seriously. "I mean it!" Ignoring her, he kept going. "They'll eat us alive?" he said before shrugging. "Well eat me I guess since I have more meat on my bones," he said before throwing her a quick glance and regarding how much flesh she had on her. A moment later he spoke thoughtfully. "I suppose you'd make a good dessert thou-"

"That's it!" Sam said, cutting his nonsense off and hastily stomping off into another hallway to get away from him. There was no point trying to get through to this man, not unless she wanted to go crazy. "It's just better to ignore him," Sam muttered under her breath, giving herself that advice and quickly deciding to follow it based on how annoying he had just been with his making fun of her belief in this place being haunted. She walked further and further away. She should just ignore him completely and try to find a way out from this place. That was the best course of action.

Walking slowly, Sam tiptoed along the hallway she had chosen, pale and afraid that someone or something was going to attack her. While she was trying to find another door out of here, she couldn't help but he distracted by her fear. Her eyes couldn't help but notice the murky atmosphere of this place. It felt like she was literally underground, and the fact that there were no lights on, only made that feeling of almost being buried alive, worse.

Gulping, Sam's eyes crept along the long walls that stretched out on either side of her. Both walls were covered in rich wallpaper, the pattern indistinguishable in the dark, but the dark brown obvious where some light from the windows came inside and Sam thanked God for it not being evening outside just yet. Her eyes kept studying the walls, taking in the old-fashioned oil paintings that hung there, the mirrors, the unlit, ornate candelabras.

Her mind immediately flickering back to what she had studied in art once, about how to date art pieces, Sam realized from the decorations that this house must have been built some time in the Victorian era. _"The 19th century..." _Sam thought, gulping again because that was just 100 years back from her own time and proved one story about the mansion to be true. Shuddering, Sam couldn't help but hope that was the only story that would be proven to be true about this house.

When her thoughts began lingering in the realm of her brain where the gory stories about this mansion were stored, Sam struggled and pushed them to the back of her mind. She took a deep breath, doing her best at ignoring the creepy surroundings and telling herself she was fine. This was just an empty, abandoned mansion. There was nothing to be afraid about. Nothing she couldn't take on anyway, she was a super spy after all, was she not? "Yes I am," Sam said to herself before making a mantra to deal with her fear and chanting it under her breath to chase away any ghosts that might be listening. "It's just a house, everything is fine," she said, a small smile forming on her lips when nothing happened right after what she said to prove her wrong. Satisfied, she went back to chanting. "It's just a house, everything is fine, "It's just a house, everything is fine, "It's just a house, everything is-"

"BOO!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed at the sudden, loud, booming voice that had come out of no where, making her fall back on the carpet out of fear and shock. Sealing her eyes, Sam held her hands out to brace herself from whatever spirit this was and prayed like mad to be safe and sound. "Oh my God!" she screamed. "Oh my God!" she kept screaming but her horrified screams came to a sudden halt when the spirit finally spoke. "I think you're going to beat me to waking up the ghosts..."

Recognizing that voice, and the speaker, Sam's eyes snapped open and her jaw dropped when it was indeed Tim Scam standing there with a smirk on his face that was openly laughing at her. Her teeth clenched in rage and her face turned purple from anger. How dare he, knowing she was terrified of being in this house, just scare her like that? She was sure he was having fun tormenting his enemy as she was the one that was scared and he was not but had he no sense of self-control and decency whatsoever? "You asshole, jerk, bastard, creep!" Sam screeched as she scrambled up from the carpet and dusted herself off. Listening to him just chuckle in response to her obvious outburst of anger, and just look at her with those teasing eyes that said "I got you good and you know it," Sam glared hotly. "I swear, there can't be a human out there lower than you!" she screamed trying to get him to take that annoying smirk off his face.

Scam stopped laughing and looked at her with a thoughtful look. "Human? No, I'll admit to that," he said before he smirked. "I might even be lower than all ghosts." Scoffing in response to his words and his obvious mindset of himself being all-powerful, Sam shot him an annoyed glance. "You're not a ghost," she said decisively in an attempt to bring him back down to earth and remind him that he was just a human no matter how horrible he got at times. Scam's smirk only widened on his face letting her know he was going to respond with words as arrogant as he normally did. "Oh yea I forgot. I'm a creep, bastard, asshole, jerk," he said, repeating the words she had just used to describe him and leaving her to roll her eyes at the fact that he clearly enjoyed all those titles that others would find offensive. Of course Scam was not normal in any way. "Whatever," Sam spat before looking at him with narrowed eyes when another thought came to her. "How'd you catch up to me so fast anyway?" Sam said, remembering how she had, had a significant lead in walking down this hallway when she had left him behind in the main one.

Looking at her with those same teasing eyes Scam smirked, "Maybe I floated here? Or maybe you're just the slowpoke that your know you are," he taunted making her face curl up in annoyance yet again because the first answer he had given made no sense and the second one was just plain mean. "I'm not slow..." Sam hissed out from between gritted teeth, almost feeling chips form in them. "And you didn't float," she said, glaring at the infuriating man before her for his ridiculous answers. Watching him chuckle to himself she glared harder. "You probably knew which way I was going to go and followed me quietly."

"Works for me," Scam said, yawning but not giving her a yes or no answer if that was actually what he had done. Giving him another glare, Sam chose to ignore his answers since they were no help whatsoever. Deciding to change the topic back to the pressing issue at hand she whispered, "We need to get out of here." A shiver passed through her skin when she remembered where "here" was, a haunted house in which no one had been for one hundred years. A goose bump roamed down her skin. No one who was alive. "Whatever for?" Scam suddenly said, confusing her. "What?" Sam said, wondering what he was talking about. Looking at her with calm eyes, Scam shrugged. "I said whatever for? Why do you want to leave?" Running his eyes across the hallway and studying the area Scam whispered. "It's such a beautiful house." Baffled by what he'd just said, Sam's jaw dropped open as her eyebrows rose and her shock grew deeper when she caught him almost smiling. Smiling as if he was right at home.

_"What the hell is up with him?"_ she thought, wondering why he was so fond of a house he could not even see. The hall they were in was literally plunged in darkness and she was sure he could barely see her standing next to him let alone the "beauty" of the home. "...We can't even SEE the house," she said slowly, letting him know he was making no sense, even less than he normally did to her being the enigma that he was. When he turned his head to her Sam pointed around them to make her point. "It's pitch black in here, if you didn't notice." Blinking once Scam shrugged. "Oh you can't see? Hmm...well I can," he said before dismissing her and going back to scanning the premises.

Having had enough of his appreciation of this creepy palace Sam smirked, knowing how to get him to stop his nonsense. "Of course you can..." she said drawing his attention to her face. She smirked harder. "I mean, all those years of being in a stinking, dark jail cell must have granted you excellent skills in seeing in the dark," she taunted, waiting for him to give her a glare or tell her to shut up. Her jaw fell open when he just shrugged again and muttered quietly, "Works for me."

Blinking a few times Sam stared at him in shock, not understanding why Tim Scam was being so passive. Had she not just insulted him? Shouldn't he be yelling at her or coming up with one of his famously witty remarks to throw right back into her face right about...now?_ "This house must be getting to his head," _Sam thought nervously. Sure Scam was a criminal maestro but he was still a human being. Ghosts had to be able to mess with his brain just as much as any other human being's. Shivering, Sam knew this house was definitely getting to her. Just being in here was making goose bumps roam up and down her flesh, she didn't even want to imagine what she'd be like if something actually...happened. Gulping and being reminded of her fear, Sam forgot about Scam's odd demeanour and focused on escaping. "We need to get out here, now," she said with her eyes moving back to the large door that had closed on them not too long ago while her hands felt around in her pockets trying to locate her laser lipstick so she could unjam the door. "Damn," she hissed when she couldn't find it, and wanted to hit Scam when she remembered how he had knocked it out of her hands during their earlier struggle. _"Jerk," _Sam thought angrily. Why did Scam always have to make her life harder?

"I told you I don't want to leave, this house is beautiful," he said from next to her. "Speak of the devil," Sam mumbled under her breath before she took her hands out of her disarrayed pockets, now wrinkled thanks to her pulling at them every which way that she could in her desperation to find a gadget. It was no use. Needing an outlet for her anger, Sam turned to Scam and glared. "Yea I know it's better than a jail cell," she said, replying to his comment rudely. "No wonder you don't wanna leave." Scam didn't seem to mind the belittling statement as he simply shook his head. "No I meant it," he said calmly, letting her know she had it wrong. "It's beautiful," he said leaving her to roll her eyes. Of all the times for Scam to go crazy on her, it just had to be now when she was trapped in a haunted mansion.

"I mean you should see the rose garden and the ballroom and the main chamber," he said excitedly. Freezing on the spot, Sam looked at Scam in confusion. The words he had just said played over and over in her mind as she kept looking at him oddly. How on earth did Scam know this house had a rose garden, a ballroom or a main chamber? He was a stranger here just like her. Chewing on her lower lip, Sam tried to figure out how he knew all that before she realized she was overcomplicating things. Scam was making it up of course. He hadn't had the time to go see any rose garden or ballroom or anything. She knew he had been on this floor, floor ONE along with her all this time. Scam had to be making it all up.

Smirking, Sam raised a hand and poked Scam in the shoulder teasingly. "Ballroom huh?" she said, with heavy amounts of sarcasm in her tone. When he turned to her, she smirked harder. "You sure have had a lot of time to imagine yourself up a nice house," she said, making fun of Scam again, for having spent so much of his time in a jail cell and expecting him to blow up at her. Looking at her with unbothered eyes, Scam only spoke softly. "I'm glad you find the house nice," he smirked.

Sam's eyes narrowed at his words, lost as to why he had said that. She thought about it for a moment before she decided Scam was just being his usual, unbearable, annoying self. There was no point wasting brain cells over him. "Yea I'm guessing it's your house that's why you're happy being here," she said rolling her eyes. This house might as well be his with the way he was acting. "Whatever," Sam huffed, placing her hands on her hips and looking at Scam with firm eyes. "I'm going to try to find a way out of here," she said before pointing an accusing finger at him and speaking in an undignified tone. "You keep being the useless person that you are," she spat before she turned and stomped off to go down another hallway where a hidden escape door might be waiting.

Watching her leave, Scam waited until she was well away from him before a smirk unfolded across his lips. And a quiet whisper soon escaped his lips. "Good luck leaving..." he whispered, his eyes growing tender and longing as they remained on her form. "Darling..."

* * *

><p>Hastily walking down the murky hallway Sam kept muttering to herself, still annoyed with Tim Scam. "Of all the men I had to get stuck in a haunted house with, it just HAD to be Tim Scam!" she said, huffing and cursing her rotten luck. Why did it have to be HER who had gotten trapped with him? Why not Clover or Alex? Why her?<p>

Letting out a sigh of distress Sam shook her head to try and calm herself. _"I have to get out of here before I go crazy or get attacked," _she thought gulping nervously. She sped up, moving her feet faster down the hallway, keeping her eyes out for any exit when she suddenly felt something strange that left her to stiffen. Was it just her...or had the floor beneath her feet just...moved? Another rumble from under her boots confirmed her doubt and left her to squeal as she quickly jumped to the side. When her feet hit the floor she felt the ground moving again, and panic filled her when she realized how much like an earthquake this was. It honestly felt like the floor was going to-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed loudly when she felt the ground beneath her suddenly split and crumble, nearly making her fall until she began running to get away. Not daring to look back, or even stopping to think of an explanation for this Sam ran as fast as she could with sweat pouring down her forehead, faster and faster until she reached the end of the rapidly collapsing hallway.

Leaping into the next hall, Sam fell on her front exhausted, and took deep, fleeting breaths before the sound of wood splitting and cracking made her roll around and face the hallway she had left behind in horror. A chill fluttered down her spine and her eyes widened even more when she saw the huge crack in the floor she had just been standing on. The wood was torn away, and a large, misshapen hole was there as if a tidal wave had literally ripped through the surface a moment before and left it broken. Standing up on shaky legs, Sam kept her eyes on the wreckage and took deep breaths as she tried to figure out how something like this could even happen. She gulped dryly, her throat turning as dry as sandpaper as only one explanation flashed on and on

in her mind:

_"Ghosts!"_

_"Ghosts!'_

_"Ghosts!"_

A squeal left her and she jumped a foot off the floor when she felt a sudden tap on her left shoulder. Sam whipped around, pale and terrified until she saw that it was only Tim Scam standing there and not some transparent, flickering and ghastly image laughing at her fear. Letting out a deep breath of relief, Sam knew she had never been more glad to see Scam in her life before than she was at this moment. Getting a hold on her rampant heartbeat that was still twittering over what she had just experienced, Sam pointed to the hole in the floor and spoke quickly.

"Scam! Did you...do you see that crack?" she asked, straining her arm and pointing to the gash on the floor repeatedly. "See?" she screamed. "Do you believe me now?" she shouted, shaking severely as she kept pointing. "There is something up with this house!" Shuddering, Sam rubbed her arms as she kept raving. "I knew it! I knew all those rumours were true! This house is haunted! Oh my God! Can you imagine what kind of freaky ghost did THAT? I could have died! If I hadn't jumped out of the way I'd be buried under THAT floor right now! I'd join the rest of the people that died in this cursed mansion never to be seen ag-"

Sam's eyes narrowed as she suddenly noticed that Scam wasn't saying anything. Turning around, Sam looked at him in confusion, not having any clue why Scam wasn't reacting in any way when she was screaming her head off and showing him something scarier than hell. Finding him just standing there with blank expression Sam wondered of maybe he was in shock but her confusion came back again when she noticed he was staring at her, At HER, not the floor with that huge, unearthly gap. Something was wrong here.

Taking a step closer to him, Sam spoke in a quiet whisper. "Scam...you okay?" she said slowly, nervously. He waited a moment before his eyes flicked right into hers intently and he spoke in a cynical, mocking tone. "You care if I'm okay?" Leaving Sam blinking in confusion, he continued in a cryptic, soft whisper. "I find that to be a refreshing change. Very refreshing change..." Blinking in confusion, Sam kept staring at him completely lost. What did he mean by that? Why would he say something like that?

"Scam...you okay?" she asked again, not sure what else to say when he was acting so...out of it.

He only looked at her with calm eyes, before he whispered, "I am..." A small smirk tugged at his lips, "Now that you're here..." Her eyes widening at his words Sam blinked rapidly. "Wh-what?" she asked but he only looked at her with that same, mysterious smirk dancing on his lips not giving her any answers. Looking away from him, Sam shook her head and cleared it as she struggled to figure out what the hell Scam was talking about when she felt another tap on her shoulder from behind. Startled, Sam began turning around slowly, knowing since Scam was in front of her this had to be some kind of ghost or other entity. But when she finally turned around her jaw fell open because standing in front of her was no spirit or ghost.

It was Tim Scam.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, quickly glancing behind her shoulder to try and locate the Scam she had been talking to before only to not see him there. Turning back around, Sam watched Scam with wide, scared eyes not understanding what was going on here. How had he moved so quickly without her even noticing? Suddenly her breath hitched in her throat as she remembered that the hallway Scam was now standing in had collapsed, the entire floor had fallen in. What was he standing on then? She glanced down quickly and screamed again when she saw that the floor was still broken and Scam's feet...they were hovering above the non-existent floor. He was...he was levitating. Her throat clogging up, Sam weakly raised a hand and pointed to his feet. "You..." she croaked out slowly. "You...oh my god...you're...you're..." she gasped not believing what her eyes were showing her.

"What?" Scam asked, sounding confused. Gulping to moisten her throat, and looking at him in disbelief wondering how he could not tell he was hanging in the air, Sam found herself screaming out her answer. "You're floating!" she shrieked while taking quick steps back from him. Cocking an eyebrow Scam looked at her with a small frown on his lips. "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed, sounding no less than annoyed. "I can't float. Last time I checked I didn't have wings." Ignoring his denial, Sam shook her head furiously. "But you are!" she screamed in protest. "You are floating!" she said, pointing at his feet again to prove what she was saying only to stop dead when she realized why Scam was so confused and was questioning her sanity.

The floor was fully intact and Scam was standing on solid wood just like she was. Staring at the ground under his feet for a few moments Sam took a while before she shook her head, snapped out of her shock, and apologized to Scam for freaking out on him. "I'm sorry," she said lightly, still not fully believing she had just imagined the floor splitting like that along with his levitating. "I could swear you were floating just now."

Letting out a scoff, Scam muttered, "Yea, and I bet you'll say there was another man who looks just like me walking around as well," he rolled his eyes looking irritated before he looked at her in confusion. "Who were you talking to anyway?" Blinking her eyes slowly and opening them again Sam just stared at him not knowing what to say. She had been talking to him before he interrupted the conversation. "I...was talking to you," she said oddly, her confusion clear in her voice at his lack of memory right now. She was confused further when Scam's eyebrows rose and he looked at her like she was a basket case. "...Okay," he said slowly before he scanned her face with his eyes and looked at her with concern. "I think your ghosts are starting to get into your head Sam."

Sam glared at the suggestion in his tone. It was obvious he was trying to say she had imagined talking to him just like she had imagined the hallway collapsing and his ability to float. She was not ready to believe that. She was still trying to come to grips with the previous two incidents being false to start doubting something she knew had happened. She could remember talking to him. Why was he denying it? Was he deliberately playing with her obvious fear of being in this mansion? Thinking it was that because Scam had a reputation of praying on people's fears and laughing at them for it because he was the man that nothing on this planet could ever phaze, Sam rubbed her arms and looked at him with embarrassment on her face. "Scam this...this isn't funny," she said, humiliation clear in her tone.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Scam frowned. "Am I laughing?" he asked, sounding every bit serious and leaving Sam to question the prior assumption she had made about him mocking her. Not wanting to let that go just yet, Sam looked up at him and spoke firmly. "I was talking to YOU," she said determinedly. "And you said that..." she paused, remembering what he had said and making sure of it before she told him to jog his failing memory. "That it was refreshing that I cared for you and-"

"Why would I care if you care for me?" Scam interrupted, holding up his hand to stop her and looking beyond puzzled. Biting her lip, Sam thought about that for a moment before she lowered her head in defeat. Scam was right. He would never care if she cared about him. Why would he do that when it was clear he didn't need anyone and was happy alone? _"How could I have even thought those words would ever come out of his mouth?"_ Sam thought, cursing at herself for being so dumb before deciding it wasn't her to blame here. It was this house. It was messing with her head and making her see and hear things that never happened. She needed to get away and now before something crazier happened.

"We need to get out..." she said firmly. This time Scam didn't protest at all and simply nodded his head. "Yes obviously, this house is starting to make you act crazy." Sam nodded her head slowly and put what she'd seen and heard at the back of her mind. It had all been imagined. Nothing had happened. Nothing was going to happen. She had to stop letting her fears control her like this. Scam turned and walked down the hallway before her to join her task of looking for a way out and Sam took a moment to get a grip before she followed him. As she walked behind him she kept reminding herself over and over again that she was fine._ "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's all okay. Nothing is going to happen to me. I will get out of here alive," _she thought. But a moment later when she thought she felt the floor under her feet shifting again, Sam gulped, suddenly not being so sure.

* * *

><p>When the thought she heard a strange sound, Sam jumped. AGAIN. Sneaking her eyes over to Scam where he was walking a few steps ahead of her Sam bit her lip and wondered the same thing she had been wondering for the last half hour of them roaming this house in the darkness, each time something strange happened:<p>

Had he noticed?

Seeing him not even flinch and just keep walking Sam sighed realizing that again, he hadn't. He hadn't noted anything strange ever since he had entered this mansion. A shudder roamed her flesh because she knew the exact opposite had been happening to her. Ever since she had stepped into this place all she had seen were things that could not be explained without ghostly intervention. The collapsing hallway and Scam's levitating act was the least of it, in the last half hour she had seen stairways pop in and out of existence, felt like her skin was freezing solid even though all the doors and windows were barred shut and even seen Scam's shadow disappear at that one point they were crossing by a moonlit passage.

She trembled at the odd memories and kept her eyes on the man before her, not being able to look away. And her curiosity would not leave her alone. Why hadn't he seen anything that she had seen? Why had Scam missed everything? Biting her cheek, Sam kept chewing on it while berating her brain. Why was this only happening to her? Why not him as well? He was a prisoner here as well, was he not?

_"It doesn't make sense," _Sam thought, growing worried. Why her? Why only her? Suddenly Sam felt her skin go pale and her breath freeze in her lungs. Could it...could it be? Sam took a deep breath in and shook her head. No, no! She did not want to believe it! It couldn't be! It wasn't fair! Sighing after a moment of cursing her terrible luck, Sam knew she couldn't deny it anymore. It was the only explanation. For whatever reason, the ghosts in this house were fixated on her and not Tim Scam. It seemed that she was their exclusive target. Gulping dryly, Sam tried to come to terms with that very possible fact. That she was the target and not Scam. She tried to think of ways to deny it but her face lost all colour completely when she remembered something she had heard about this mansion. Something she hadn't remembered until now.

All the reports she had ever heard about of people that went missing after entering this mansion...they had all been women._ "Oh my God..." _Sam thought, getting more and frightened. It was true. She had never heard of a man disappearing here, just women. Young, WOMEN. Women like her.

_"I...I gotta get out of here!" _Sam thought, panic filling her. She began to curse at herself for ever following Scam in this accursed place. This was what she got for wanting to do her job right. She should have just let him get away. They could have always caught him again later. But no! No! She just had to run after him like an idiot! Terrified, Sam kept blaming herself and her need to maintain her perfect spy record until she forced herself to stop and take a long, deep breath. She was letting her fear get the better of her. She honestly was.

Taking another deep breath Sam tried to think logically. It was very possible that Scam was somehow messing with her brain. She knew him. He hated her. A man like him would pay good bucks to see her freaked out and scared to death. And right now he had her trapped with him, in a house that he KNEW she was afraid of...why wouldn't he take advantage of the opportunity?

Casting Scam a look of distrust Sam tried to find him smirking or laughing secretly at her fear but he wasn't doing any of that. No, he was just walking in front of her, nearby, with a calm look on his face, and concentration clear in his sea foam eyes as he turned doorknobs every once in a while to check if they led to a way out. In other words, he was looking completely innocent. But she refused to declare him not guilty. She did not trust him and she was not about to start now. Keeping her eyes on him mistrustfully, Sam's mind flickered back to that conversation she knew she had, had with him that he refused to remember ever having:

_"Scam...you okay?" _

_"You care if I'm okay?...I find that to be a refreshing change. Very refreshing change..." _

_"...Scam...you okay?" _

_"I am... Now that you're here..." _

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. While Scam blatantly denied ever saying those words to her she knew it was him. He didn't have a twin brother running around this mansion. It was him. She knew it was him she had, had that strange conversation with...even if she had no idea why Tim Scam would ever let those words leave his mouth. Sighing, her brain in knots over this, Sam looked at Scam's back in confusion. Was it at all possible that, that had not been him? Was that possible in any way? Her brain gave her the obvious answer and said no but she just wasn't so sure. It hurt her brain to think at this point and she just wanted to get out of here and away from Tim Scam.

Cursing at him with bad words she'd never say out loud, Sam followed close behind him, keeping her eyes peeled in case he pulled a fast one on her again only to stop and gasp when he opened the latest room up, pulling back a set of double, oak, polished doors with its two curved, gold-brushed metal doorknobs and revealing the room hidden behind them. Her jaw fell open as her eyes fell straight onto what was before her. The large antique, black metal chandelier that hung at the centre, followed by two of identical size and three on either side of them hanging under a painted ceiling of rich golden hues that glittered in the darkness with unlit candles waiting to be lit and fill the room with life, and the twelve white Grecian style, Corinthian columns on either side of the expansive area with seraphim angel heads painted to match the spun gold ceiling, and lastly the large, polished, blood-red floor decorated with golden swirls that lay under her feet.

Her heart beat a hundred times faster in her chest as one word popped out of her learned vocabulary in her mind and told her what this place was. A ballroom. A large, beautiful, BALLROOM. She felt as if she was going to faint.

Holding a hand over her heart, Sam slowly turned her head and looked at Tim Scam with nothing but paleness set on her features as what he had said to her not to long ago replayed itself over and over in her mind. He had told her this mansion had a ballroom. Her throat dried up as she stared at him in absolute panic. How...How on earth had Scam known about the ballroom?

A small chuckle left Scam as he studied the room and realized what it was. "A ballroom," he smirked. "Well look at that, I must be psychic," he said calmly and Sam felt her lungs straining in her chest to breathe as she kept staring at him in disbelief. How had he known? HOW HAD HE KNOWN? Biting her lip in worry and fear Sam knew that if she was having doubts about trusting him before, now she was certain she could not trust him. Afraid, and wanting to get away, Sam started backing up away from him. She walked backwards in slow steps so that he wouldn't notice and soon she had her back pressed firmly against the farthest wall because that was as far as she could get away from him right now.

She stood there with her eyes peeled wide, her hand still over her heart as she took rampant breaths trying to calm down. A loud squeal left her a quick moment later when the wall she had been leaning against suddenly flipped around and sent her sprawling into another place. She crashed onto a hard floor, nearly splitting her knee before she squealed again and bounced on her feet fast, her hands out in battle stance as she breathed deep and looked left and right for a culprit. Finding none, Sam slowly dropped her arms to her sides but remained on high alertness.

Turning back to the wall she had just fallen through Sam put her hand against its surface and tried to push it back but was stunned when it didn't budge and acted like any other normal wall was supposed to, completely fixed in a underlying matrix and unable to move. Drawing her hand away Sam bit her lip nervously wondering what to do now. She had gotten her wish to get away from Tim Scam but she felt no safer in this new room. Trying to figure out where she had come now, Sam turned back around and faced the room, squinting in the darkness as she took it in.

Although filled with darkness, the room was clearly painted white in colour, a beige shade and had multiple, arched windows on all sides with dark drapes drawn over them, a small chandelier fixed in the centre of the room, silver in colour, a set of vintage armoires, a suede roundabout circle chair, a large, heirloom, full-length Italian mirror resting against one wall, and a carpet of a slightly darker colour than the walls covering up most of the floor and leading up to a large king-sized, solid birch-wood, hand-carved, canopy bed with cream-coloured throws and large, fluffy pillows.

Resisting the urge to crawl into that bed and take a long nap and hope to wake up in her own room to realize this was a nightmare, Sam told herself she was in the mansion's master bedroom. Still trying to figure out just how she had gotten here from the ballroom Sam absentmindedly began pacing and soon found herself pulling open a drape and peeking out of one of the gaping windows to see what they looked out onto out of curiosity. But when she did, she took a sharp breath in and found herself hoping she had not looked because what she was seeing now was a very obvious garden. And not just any garden. An expansive, Victorian-style rose garden with roses so rich a red that even in the dark it almost seemed that blood was dripping off of them.

Letting the drape fall back onto the window quickly, Sam felt her stomach churn as Scam's words again, haunted her memory. _"I mean you should see the rose garden and the ballroom..." _Her skin went cold as she realized he was right about not just the ballroom but now also the garden. And a large part of her brain nagged at her eerily with one overbearing question. What were the odds of that being a coincidence? Freaking out even more Sam quickly turned away from the windows fully to escape what she had seen and maintain some of her sanity only to burst out screaming when she saw something that chilled her to the bone and made her stare in absolute and complete shock. On the wall before her, one she had missed in her initial survey of the room, was a portrait. The portrait had two figures, a man dressed in a vintage, black suit and a woman, but her entire attention was caught by the male in the painting because it was not just any man's face staring back at her...

It was Tim Scam's.

Breathing harder than ever, Sam's eyes remained wide, her eyelids pulled back as she slowly, shakily approached the portrait to confirm if it was really him or her senses deceiving her. But as soon as she was right in front of the painting and staring right at it, close enough that if it was at her eye level her nose would be touching it, Sam knew it was Tim Scam and no one else. Her jaw stuck wide open, her eyes ran over his face again and again in shock as she recognized the deep, sedimented sea-foam colour of his eyes, painted on with a dash of dark green and a dabble of light blue creating his exact, unique shade, and the colour of his skin painted on with a wash of white paint mixed in with a brush-worth of golden brown and just a touch of red resulting in a match of the healthy, copper toned skin Scam always had. Her eyes flickered over his high cheekbones then took in the colour of Scam's familiar 75% cocoa dark chocolate coloured hair, a few strands hanging over his forehead like always and she almost fell faint again when she saw his mouth was even curled up into that same famous smirk eliminating any chance for doubt.

Taking shallow breaths, Sam kept her eyes on the portrait while she pushed her brain to try and figure out what a portrait of Scam was doing in this mansion. It didn't make any sense. Why would anyone make a painting of him and put it in here? Lost beyond anything, and with no answers, Sam forced her eyes off Scam's face and looked around the rest of the painting trying to find some kind of clue that would help her solve this mystery. Her eyes landed on the other figure in the painting and she saw that "Scam" had his hands resting on a lady's shoulders who sat in front of him with one of her hands in her lap and the other crossed over her chest, against a pale, pink, Victorian gown, across a string of pearls and resting delicately on top of one of his that sat upon her shoulder.

Her eyes narrowing, Sam noticed that the woman's face appeared to be blotted out as nothing but a swirl of faded paint remained there but she had porcelain coloured skin and red hair, long and wavy, cascading over her shoulders. And as Sam stared at the faceless woman she had an eerie feeling that she knew that woman just as well as she knew the man who was holding her closely. Maybe even more than she knew him...

"Like it? It was painted many, many years ago." A masculine voice made her jump and turn around and Sam's eyes widened all over again when she saw who it was. It was Scam again but he wasn't sporting his modern black jeans, white open-collared polo and woollen trench coat. Instead he was dressed in a dark black, vintage-looking suit with a high-collar, crisp white shirt tucked under a black waistcoat, matching dark pants, and a buttoned up, heavier-looking, black suede trench coat falling over his broad shoulders. Sam let out gasp and went completely pale as she realized that he was wearing the exact same outfit that was in the painting behind her.

In her shocked, still state, she watched him trail his eyes over her face coolly before he smirked at what she was sure was the sight of her pale, confused face. And then he spoke in a calm, even whisper with his smirk still playing on his lips. "You know...," he said slowly speaking to her. "Your pale skin was always so beautiful to me..." he whispered, walking towards her and leaving the effect of a dozen ice cubes sliding down her spine with every step he took closer to her. But she still couldn't move. It seemed she was frozen out of confusion or shock or fear of not knowing what was happening here but whatever it was she could not move an inch. All she could do was stare at the man that was coming closer and closer to her speechlessly until he finally stopped, having reached her where she stood as still as a statue.

He continued talking in that same, ever so soft voice. "Your pale skin, it always set off my own skin colour. No wonder we always look so..." he paused, now smiling and shocking her even more. But her shock tipped over to the paramount level when he suddenly raised one of his hands and gently flickered the digits of his fingers over her left cheek in an almost loving way making her tremble before he looked into her eyes and whispered, "Perfect together."

Her jaw falling open yet again, Sam blinked in shock slowly before her tongue found itself able to move again. Had she just imagined what he had just said or had he just said they looked...good together? "Wh-what?" she breathed out, the confusion she was feeling right now clear in her tone but he only smiled at her and kept stroking her face as he spoke. "I have always been drawn to your beauty," he whispered leaving her eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets. But again, he only smiled at her in a mysterious little smile as he went on. "But then again..." he said, looking her in her eyes. "The feeling is mutual isn't it?" Another gasp left Sam as her tongue froze in her mouth at his words. She honestly didn't even know what to say or think anymore.

Not seeming to mind her speechlessness at all, he smiled harder and kept speaking. "You felt the same for me. You were taken by my looks and charms too..." he said before he moved his hand off her cheek and used it to tilt her head up so that she was looking straight in his eyes. He gave her a little smirk. "Weren't you, my love?" Another shaky gasp left her as she just stared at him in complete and utter shock. She had never been this shocked in all her life. Her eyes remained on him and something in her stomach churned when she saw how he was just looking at her with what she could only call...smouldering eyes without moving.

Forget moving. He wasn't even...he wasn't even blinking. Speechless, Sam just looked back into his fixed stare which was glued to her face and remained lost in a dark tunnel of confusion. Scam, TIM Scam, hated her guts. He had hated her guts for as long as she could remember. Why on earth then... was he calling her his...love? Was he playing some kind of trick on her? Was this a joke?

Thinking that was probably it, Sam studied his face for any trace of mockery but her eyes widened all over again when she found none. He was just standing there holding her chin between his thumb and index finger, completely still, looking every bit as serious as possible. And when she saw a kind of darkness that looked like it might be lust and hunger swirl around in his gaze, making his eyes look heady as he looked at her, Sam grew afraid not even sure he was Scam anymore. His eyes were scaring her and while Scam had surfaced a lot of negative emotions within her over the last three years of her knowing him, he had never, ever, frightened her like this man was right now. And that was what was making her think that maybe this man who was wearing Scam's face...wasn't really the criminal she knew at all.

Afraid, and wanting answers Sam gulped down a very dry throat before she mustered up her courage and spoke to the man she was recognizing less and less by the second. "What...what do you mean?" she asked slowly. His smile only widened again as he whispered one more time. "It was mutual, wasn't it..." he said, an odd look of nostalgia passing over his peaceful face until his expression suddenly shifted entirely and now he looked clearly upset. "But it didn't last," he said offhandedly as he released her chin and took a step back from her. He shook his head, looking more upset as he frowned and whispered one more time. "No it didn't last at all..."

Blinking slowly a few times Sam remained lost as to what he was talking about. His actions, or his words, nothing was making any sense to her at all. Super confused Sam said his name again in an effort to get him to explain why he was being like this. Whoever HE was. She hoped he was Scam. "S-Scam?" she said slowly and waited for a response. But a moment passed and he said nothing and only frowned harder. Deciding to try again, Sam worked up her courage and stepped closer to him. "Scam?" She said, louder this time but he still didn't answer her.

Knowing she was desperate for answers, Sam bit her lip before slowly, reluctantly reaching out and moving to touch his shoulder to get his attention. Only her hand never made it. A loud gasp of surprise left her when her hand simply passed right through his form as if he was made of air and she screamed, taking a hasty step back while staring at the man before her in fear and terror. Sam's heart thundered in her chest as she watched his form, which had just been solid a moment before, now flickering in front of her like a field of static energy and she stood rooted to the spot with her jaw stuck wide open in horror.

A moment later he turned his head straight towards her, his image flickering even more now before her eyes as an eerie smirk stretched across his lips and he spoke in a distant-sounding whisper. "Still scared of me...aren't you?" he said, a touch of hurt in his tone, confusing her until he suddenly threw his head back and started laughing maniacally leaving her to gasp. Soon the sound of his breathy, repetitive, loud chuckles filled the room and echoed off the walls making Sam shudder as she stood there staring at him in total bewilderment and fear. He kept laughing, louder and louder until the sound drowned everything out everything and invaded her eardrums almost painfully with its strength.

Feeling like her head was going to burst out of confusion and pain, Sam screamed before throwing her hands over her ears, closing her eyes, and trying to block out the sound of his laughter. But the moment she did that, his laughter began to die down and Sam narrowed her closed eyes in confusion wondering why he had suddenly stopped only to gasp loudly when she finally opened her eyes just in time to see his entire form fade away right before her eyes. And then he was gone.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at the same spot he had just been where even a trace of him was no longer to be found. And soon she found herself bolting out of the room in terror, screaming at the top of her lungs and running as fast as she could to try and get away from him as much as she possibly could. She kept pushing herself to run faster and faster, ignoring the pain from the lactic acid building up in her legs as she sprinted while her screams kept coming, tears of confusion now forming in her eyes as she looked over her shoulder from moment to moment to make sure he wasn't following her. But when she turned the corner she screamed when an arm lashed out and grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping her dead in her tracks. Sam went pale and screamed louder when she saw it was Scam again, holding her with his heavy, suede-clad arm, wrapped around her shoulders.

Ignoring her scream of terror he only looked her straight in the eye before speaking in a mocking voice. "Still trying to run away?" he said before he let out a chuckle that chilled her to the bone. He pulled her closer and chuckled again before he smirked and whispered, "When will you get it into your head my dear?..." he said, pressing his nose against hers and looking her threateningly in her eyes. "You can't JUST run away from ME."

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, her own scream exploding in her eardrums as she raised her hands and tried to push at him to get away. It seemed to work as his hold began to loosen and soon he had faded away into nothingness all over again. Screaming again, Sam broke into a faster run in a desperate attempt to escape him. She made it down the hall, shouting and screaming like a madwoman, then the next until she was grabbed again, this time by the waist. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, terrified when she saw Scam's face, again, looking back at her hauntingly with a smirk on his lips as he hoisted her up against his chest and plastered her to his form. Feeling her shivering in terror he spoke again, with his lips now touching her earlobe.

"You can't escape ME," he drawled apocalyptically leaving Sam to scream again and struggle to get out of his grip. She moved her hands and hastily tugged on his where they kept her trapped in his hold all the while crying and screaming. "No! NO! Let me go! Stop it!" Sam screamed desperately, her voice strained and heaving, but soon his hold on her broke again as chuckled, only leaving her with the sound of his laughter echoing in her eardrums as he faded away again.

Shuddering and shaking, Sam started running again while trying to ignore his taunting voice, and terrifying presence while praying she would never see him again. She ran wildly, tripping and falling and looking back, left and then right to prevent him from snatching her up again. But she had barely run down the next isle when a pair of strong arms reached out and seized her again. "AHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, not even bothering to look up as she raised both her hands and began clobbering her captor with her fists.

A short moment later, an annoyed, shocked sounding voice stopped her. "What the hell Sam! I thought maybe there was someone else in this house so I was trying to trap them and you're hitting ME?" The arms that had been around her suddenly released her and Sam looked up to find Tim Scam glaring at him hatefully. Taking deep breaths, Sam kept looking at him afraid, and it took her a few moments of careful speculation to realize that he was solid and not flickering or fading in any way. Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry again when she noticed he was back in his modern clothing and his Victorian garb was gone...at least for now.

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Scam crossed his arms over his chest before giving her a look laden with annoyance and disdain. "Where the hell did you run off to anyway?" he asked, sounding peeved and confused. Lost again, Sam blinked before speaking in a soft whisper. "...I...I went though a wall," she said, shuddering at that experience. Scam's eyebrow shot up and he remained silent for a moment, watching her before he rolled his eyes. In slow motion. "Wow Sam. Hilarious, really," he said dryly while shaking his head and muttering something about lame, cliché "ghost" jokes, and then adding in something along the lines of her thinking she was Shadowcat under his breath before he glared at her. "Now tell me where you REALLY were," he said demandingly.

Her eyes widening at his tone, Sam stared at him in disbelief wondering why he wasn't believing what she was telling him. It wasn't that hard to do, was it? Not when he had seen it happen with his own, two eyes. Annoyed and angry at his blatant denial over her answer to his stupid question Sam screamed out angrily, "You saw me fall through the wall!" she shouted accusingly. Scam's left eyebrow only arched itself in response as he spoke in a nonchalant, sure-sounding, firm voice. "I didn't see you go through ANY wall," he said bluntly.

Sam's mouth clamped itself shut as she stared at him in shock at what he had just said. Scam shrugged, rolling back his shoulders and rubbing the back of his neck before speaking in the same, relaxed tone as before. "Last I remember, we were in the ballroom," he recounted. "I said I was psychic for guessing there was one in this house and then I look up to see you're gone." Sam could only stare back him speechlessly as he didn't even mention the wall, nor hearing her scream when she went through that it even though she knew he had to have heard it. Crossing his arms over his chest again, Scam smirked. "And Samantha, last time I checked you were solid..." he said teasingly as his smirk widened on his lips. "Solid things…don't just go through WALLS."

Not saying anything, Sam just stared at Scam and his smirk in complete and utter disbelief. How was he just standing here denying anything and everything he had seen and heard like that? She was sure, BEYOND SURE that when she had vanished, he HAD seen it happen. But here he was denying having witnessed it. A glare formed on her face. Just like he had been denying everything else she had endured in this house. She had finally had enough.

Pointing her finger at him, Sam burst out screaming. "You're pranking me that's it! Isn't it?" she accused. Looking bored, Scam shrugged. "Why the hell would I waste my time doing that?" Taking his calm, careless demeanour as a sign of his guilt, as a man who had been wrongly accused of doing something would be shouting and screaming, Sam ignored how Scam had rarely ever lost his cool in recorded history and kept yelling at him. "Don't be a smartass with me Scam!" she hissed, now shaking with rage. How dare he do this to her. How dare he take advantage of her fear and use it against her like the bastard that he was. "You know you are doing this!" she howled.

Now looking pissed off, Scam shot her a glare. "All I have been doing..." he said icily. "Is trying to find a way out." His glare grew harder. "Your stupid little ghost theories are starting to eat into your brain, you're sounding crazy Sam," he spat, leaving her to glare at him vehemently. Letting out a small sigh, Scam suddenly looked at her in concern. "By the way..." he said slowly, taking a step towards her and still looking at her with concern. "What happened to you anyway? You look like you saw a ghost." Sam glared now, harder than ever at his lame attempt to pass everything he had put her through on a ghost. This was all his doing and she wasn't about to let him evade that.

Looking at him with venomous, angry eyes, Sam screamed. "You told me I couldn't escape you!" she said, reminding him of the last thing he'd said to frighten her, not too long ago and expecting him to remember it. But Scam only looked at her lost and blinked. "When?" he asked before rolling his eyes. "You know I'm pretty sure it's you who alwaysssssssss tells me -I- can't escape when you put me back in jail for a day," he said, frowning.

Getting more angry at his lies that never seemed to stop coming, Sam threw him a look of disgust before screaming again. "Don't lie to me!" she shouted. "I'm not!" came his firm reply leaving Sam to glare at him all over again as she stood there with her fists bunched at her sides, shaking in rage. When she went silent, Scam looked at her face and his own glare that had been rivalling her own vanished when he saw past her fuming state and noticed how pale and frightened she looked right now. Blinking slowly he bit his cheek before speaking to her. "...Sam, you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned as he took a step closer to her and went to touch her forehead to see if she was coming down with a fever but Sam slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" she screamed warningly.

Watching him look at her innocently as if not knowing why she was upset with him, Sam refused to buy it and only gave him another glare filled with contempt. She was sick and tired of how far he had taken this and she refused to put up with anymore. "I know you're doing this..." she said, looking at him with her eyes narrowed into slits of rage. "I don't know how but I know it's you," she said decisively leaving him to look only more confused and angry but she ignored it. "And I'm not letting you get to me AGAIN!" she screamed before raising her hands, pushing him so he staggered back a foot and then running off into the opposite direction.

"Fine, get lost!" Scam's angry voice called out behind her as she ran further and further away from him. Blaming his frustration over her refusal to fall into his trap ever again for the anger in his voice, Sam speeded down the dark hallway, never once looking back.

* * *

><p>Looking left and right, Sam's eyes ran over the many rooms and doors in the hallway she was now standing in, one that she was grateful was well away from the one she had last seen Scam in. She studied the doors and tried to find a room she could hide in, where he could not get into so that she could calm herself down and then work on finding a way out of here. Sam's eyes narrowed in rage as her lungs burned from all the running she had been doing. Her glare grew hotter.<p>

All the running HE had been making her do. She couldn't wait to get out of here, this place that frightened her, and even more, from the man that frightened her even more. She couldn't wait to throw him back in jail where he belonged. She was going to make sure he stayed in jail until his dying breath for what he was doing to her. She would make him pay if it was the last thing she ever did.

Cursing at him under her breath, Sam told herself Tim Scam was doing this. He had to be doing this. Her mind flickered back to the strange words he had said to her. How he had told her she couldn't run away from him, how she could not escape him, and she felt her entire form radiate with rage. How dare he do all this? Didn't he know when to stop? When you went to far?_ "No," _Sam thought, shaking her head in disgust._ "He doesn't,"_ she told herself, knowing it was true. Tim Scam was a hedonist, a sadist, a sociopath. He didn't care for anything but his own entertainment and right now he was enjoying her screams, her terror, her fear of this place and having his fun with it. It was just like him to do this.

Continuing cursing at him, Sam pushed herself to ignore how he had been able to fade in and out of existence before her._ "I had to have imagined that bit," _she said to herself, nodding her head as she forced herself to believe that. Believe it, because it was true. Ever since she was a little girl she had been scared of this house. She had been terrified of walking inside it and now here she was trapped in it, of course her fears were messing around with her senses. What was seeing a human fade away? It was one of the biggest clichés ever used in ghost movies throughout the history of paranormal movies. Her mind was just playing on those movies she had seen throughout her life and mixing with her fear of this mansion and showing her, her enemy with that ability. There was nothing to be scared of. Nothing. Nothing at all.

Forcing herself to believe that despite how badly her heart continued to beat out what she knew was fear and apprehension, Sam continued looking for a room to hide from Scam in. She paced around the hallway, her ears alert in case he was coming this way, and soon a breath of relief left her when she spotted a small room, something like a closet, sitting amongst the others. Running towards it, Sam decided it was a good escape spot. Her decision was made more solid when she saw the door had a knob that could be locked from the inside and had its key hanging on the handle.

Thanking God, she snatched up the golden chain the key was hanging on in her hands and removed it from around the doorknob. Bringing the key up to her face she studied it and gulped when she saw the motif carved onto the head of the brass key was of the Grim reaper. While his hood covered one of his carved eyes, in one hand, crossed over his chest he held a tiny, curved skeith. Sam's eyes followed the path of the brass blade and narrowed when she saw it pointed to the very end of the key which was marred by some kind of stain. Bringing the key closer to her, Sam squinted in the dark as she tried to figure out what had caused the dark stain but she soon gave up as the darkness would not let her see. Bringing the key down to the keyhole Sam unlocked the door and hesitated, a little afraid by the hellish pattern of the key before she brushed it off and pulled herself into the closet, locking the door behind her as she had planned.

Leaning her back against the closed door Sam let out a breath of relief at being in a safe spot Scam could not get inside of. She took a step deeper inside, but suddenly eyes widened when she noticed something strange. Was it just her... or did it feel like she had walked into a freezer instead of a closet? It was so cold in here. Feeling her teeth start to chatter, Sam raised her hands and rubbed her arms trying to warm herself up, only to have her eyes widen when she thought she saw ice settling on her skin. Alarmed, she brought her hands before her face and gasped when she saw that her palms were indeed coated with a thin layer of frost...as if she really was in a freezer. A biting, eerie feeling settling in her stomach, Sam bit her lip nervously, now wondering if coming in this room was such a good idea after all. As she stood there trying to figure that out, suddenly her nostrils flared and then she began to cough uncontrollably as a musky, strong scent clouded up her senses. Her eyes widened a quick second later as she recognized that smell. She had encountered it before, too many times to not recognize it was the smell of...

_"Blood,"_ Sam thought, going pale. Her gut wrenching in panic as the familiar, iron smell clung to her nostrils, Sam wondered if she was imagining it. If this bloody smell was just a figment of her imagination but right then she suddenly felt like something was brushing against her shoulder. Moving fast, she pushed whatever it was off only to freeze when it came dangling back and stopped right in front of her. Her eyes grew wide and her blood ran cold and then a scream erupted from her lungs when she realized what it was.

A human foot. A white, cold, frozen-looking, HUMAN foot.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed and looked up before she could stop herself. And what she saw made her heart nearly stop beating in her chest altogether. Hanging above her, right above her...was a body of young woman. A redheaded, young woman, with light green eyes hanging by a hook affixed to the back of the collar of her dress. Her lifeless eyes stared forward and her lips sat in a line on her face as she just hung there in her preserved state. Her heart beating madly in her chest, Sam pointed at the figure in disbelief, several screams exploding from her mouth as she backed away from the woman only to scream again when her back hit something else. And when she spun around and looked up, she screamed louder when she a different woman, dead, and dangling down at her.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, again and again as her eyes flew around the closet madly and goose bumps thundered up and down her spine when she saw that the entire closet was filled with different redheaded, green-eyed, deceased women. Horrified, Sam turned around as fast as her feet would let her and jammed the key in the lock, screaming as she fumbled with it to open it so she could escape. But a second later a dark light flashed before her eyes and formed itself into a figure shrouded in black.

She stepped back, frightened beyond words and not knowing what to expect now only to scream in terror when the figure fully assumed its shape and Tim Scam's tall form was standing before her, cutting off her only exit. His eyes snapped open to stare at her, and Sam screamed before trying to move past him and open the door only to have him walk forward slowly right towards her. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, scrambling and walking backwards, deeper and deeper into the cramped closet to get away from him. But he kept coming, closer and closer despite her flailing arms and soon he had her pinned against the back of the closet, his hands clutching her hips tightly and his chest right against hers.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shouted, screaming her lungs out in fear and horror but he did nothing but just stand there and listen to her cry and scream madly. Sam shuddered as her screams kept coming, bursting in her eardrums and she closed her eyes to try and drown everything out. But she could feel the dead bodies dancing around her and smell the horrific, acrid scent of dried, human blood so strongly that she could taste it on the tip of her tongue.

Scared to death and out of oxygen from screaming, Sam knew she had to get out of here, she just had to get out before she passed out. Feeling his hands holding her in a death grip, his fingernails digging into her hips through the material of her spy suit, she opened her mouth and screamed at him to release her. "G-Get out of my way!" she demanded, keeping her eyes sealed to try and escape the image of death that was hanging before her a hundred times over. Noticing her fear and discomfort at the bodies around her as she would not open her eyes, he suddenly spoke. "These bodies..." he said slowly. "Bother you?"

Pausing in her screams at him to let her go, Sam's eyes opened at the odd question he was asking her. She looked at him lost, not knowing what kind of answer he was expecting for that kind of obvious question but found herself screaming again when he shifted and touched her again, this time pressing his hands on either side of her head and trapping her even tighter between the wall and his body. Sam trembled, feeling his breath dance across the pale flesh of her face, making it burn as he leaned in until his nose was on hers, pressing into it. Staring right into her eyes he spoke in a chilling whisper. "They bother you?' he asked repeating the question she hadn't answered. Fear flickered in Sam's eyes and she was sure he could see it but all she could so was nod back weakly in response, while hoping in some secret, naive part of her brain that if she answered him he'd let her go. Nodding his head, he did no such thing and only leaned closer to her, peering deeper into her widened orbs as he breathed out, "They bother me a lot MORE."

Her eyes widening even more, Sam stared back at him in confusion, terrified even more as she wondered why he had these bodies here if they bothered him. And another part of her brain, the one that was still fixated on his familiar face wondered since when Tim Scam cared about dead bodies. Wanting answers Sam found herself squeaking out, "...Did you kill them?" she asked weakly, her voice drained from all her screaming. "No..." he said softly as he shook his head. "I wouldn't say -I- did." Her eyes narrowing in confusion wondering who else would have done this, Sam looked at him questioningly before asking, "Th-then, who-"

He cut her off by pressing his body deeper into hers and letting his muscles envelop her shuddering form as he crushed it, leaving her to whimper before he answered her in a low whisper. "It was you who caused their deaths." His words were like thunder clapping in her mind and her eyes widened in a tumult of shock. "Wha-what?" she stuttered when she found her voice again. "No..." she whispered, shaking her head in denial. She could not be responsible for so much death and destruction. So much pain. She wasn't! She was NOT! Glancing back up and hastily surveying the grim, frozen faces of the dead women, Sam was only more convinced of that fact. She didn't even KNOW these women! ANY of these women! How could she have possibly caused their deaths? He didn't know what he was saying!

"No!" she screamed, shaking her head furiously. "I didn't do anything!" He ignored her and nodded his head. "Yes," he whispered coldly," his eyes fixed on her like she was a murderer. "Yes, you did." Shaking her head harder, Sam kept denying. "No! No! I did not!" She shouted, her screams making the dead bodies above her sway. And she grew more pale and her eyes grew more horrified when they bobbed up and down as if disagreeing with her and accusing her for their deaths just like he was.

"No!" Sam screamed, repulsed and shaken up. "No! No! No!" she screamed, involuntary tears forming in her eyes out of frustration and fear. It felt as if she was choking on the smell of blood and her own bile that was crawling up her throat. She felt as if she was going to be sick. Desperate for him to let her go she opened her mouth to scream out another no in her defence only to gasp when he suddenly grasped her jaw and shut her up. Fear nearly swallowing her whole at his aggressive hold, Sam stared back at him limply as he looked at her with deep, angry eyes. "You killed them," he said damningly, tightening his grip on her jaw harder and harder until she couldn't even shake her head in denial. Her face losing all it's colour, Sam's tears fell harder.

"No..." she breathed out weakly before she somehow got a sudden boost of strength and courage and screamed. "No! Let me go!" she demanded, needing to get away right this moment. Raising her hands she moved to push him off her only to have her hands slip right through his form just as soon as she touched him. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed as he faded away one more time. His form growing paler and paler, he looked at her with his sea foam eyes filled with hurt and accusation. "You caused so much unneeded loss," he whispered but his words were lost behind the extent of Sam's screams of terror and confusion. Noting that his body was remaining translucent, Sam seized her chance, throwing her hands over her ears to block out his voice and her own screams as she ran right through thorough him. Pushing the bodies out of her way she turned the lock in the key with her pale, shaky hands and ran out of the closet screaming on the top of her lungs with an array of screams leaving a trail behind her.

Turning around he watched her form disappear, shaking and trembling as she ran away from him as fast as her legs could carry her. A small sigh escaped him as he shook his head and spoke in a mute whisper, his eyes full of longing and pain as they never left her. "You shouldn't run away, it never helps..."

* * *

><p>Running scared through the dark, empty hallways Sam kept screaming as she looked every which way and tried to figure out where to run, where she could hide from this terrible nightmare that was tormenting her. She had no idea where to go. Somehow, someway, HE always seemed to find her and by now she was terrified. More than TERRIFIED. Her lungs burned and ached as she ran, and a trickle of sweat dripped into her eye making it sting painfully but she didn't dare stop running. She wasn't safe any where. No place in this freaky, creepy, haunted mansion was safe for her.<p>

Panting and heaving, coated in sweat and feeling the pain in her legs from exhaustion Sam felt tears tinge the edges of her eyes and she knew she wanted it to stop. She wanted it all to go away. She wanted, she wanted more than anything to blame Tim Scam like she had been for every other thing that had happened so far because then she wouldn't have to be so scared. But she honestly didn't know if it was him anymore or someone else, something else that was frightening her. And she had a strong, sinking feeling it was the latter. Sam's skin rippled with goose bumps at the disheartening thought. While she wanted to have the comfort of blaming a human being for this her rational side would not let her. It kept telling her now, more than ever that this fading man was a spirit, an apparition, a GHOST.

Wanting to deny that she was being pursued by a ghost Sam tried to steer her mind away from the horrible possibility but she couldn't deny how he always appeared in the same Victorian clothes with the same solemn expression, the same distant voice and the same look that made it feel like sheets of ice were being grated down her back. Tim Scam had never had that effect on her, but this man, this THING did. He seemed to touch a deeper part of her that she didn't want touched and that scared her. Whenever he popped up it felt as if he would reach into her chest and grab hold of her heart and simply stop it from beating. Her colour disappearing from her face until she was sure she was as pale as a corpse was when it was lying dead, buried in the ground, Sam realized then, agonized, that he had to be then what she feared most of all.

He had to be a ghost.

Her heart sinking into a pit of terror Sam knew she couldn't deny it anymore. This house was known to be haunted, there were testimonies upon testimonies about that. A ghost was expected to be here and she had found it. Yes he had to be a ghost, her rational side reasoned even more, frightening her that she was being haunted but she knew it made sense. Those dead bodies, while Scam had a serious ability to kill and had committed murders with ease before, had been preserved. Some of them looked as if they had been there for decades. she had noticed even through her scared, terrified eyes that many of the women were dressed in vintage, Victorian clothing as if from the time the time this house was built. Scam could not have lived in that time to be committing murders.

As much as she wanted to, ached to, take comfort in his abilities and blame him she knew Scam was barely 30, there was no way, no matter how badly she wished it was true that he was a hundred years old and had begun killing in the Victorian era.

So he was a ghost then, that man. Her heart fell deeper into the dark pit it had dropped into and a chilled shudder rocked her form in denial, but she had to accept it. It was a ghost she was dealing with. It was a ghost who was haunting her. There was no getting around that anymore but why was he-it in Tim Scam's form? Biting her cheek in thought to try and control her shivering, Sam concentrated long enough to remember how even that portrait in the master bedroom had been of his as well.

_Why?_

She asked herself. Why was it in his form? Why was that painting there? What did it all mean? Shaking her head, Sam felt a headache that was more like a migraine pounding in her eardrums, threatening to make her head burst sky high. It hurt to think. She was spooked, tired and terrified. She didn't want to solve any mystery. She just...She just wanted out._ "I just...I just wanna go home," _Sam admitted to herself and tears returned to her eyes again, this time out of homesickness and terror. Would she never get out of here? Would this be her final resting spot?

Letting her tears fall, she didn't stop them until she had cried her eyes out. She then slowly raised her hands and wiped away her tears as she asked herself the most vital question. Where was she to go? Where could she hide? She was more than possibly running, as her rational side had decided, from a ghost. Where could she hide where a ghost would not enter? Biting her lip and forcing her brain to think Sam only grew sadder when a list for possible places returned blank in her mind. Crying quietly and holding her arms around her herself protectively, Sam cautiously, carefully walked down the pitch black hallway, quiet as a mouse as she tried to find some place, any place that would hide her from her fear.

* * *

><p>She had almost given up when she chanced upon a promising-looking room upstairs. Her heart had thundered violently as she had climbed the creaky, hardwood stairs but she had thought maybe, just maybe the spirit was bound to just the lower region of this mansion and would not come after her upstairs. And that was what led her here, to the second floor. Her eyes remained fixed on the door of the room she was considering going into. And she knew why, after rejecting every other room on this floor, she was looking at this one. There was something different about the aura of this room.<p>

While the other doors looked heavy and shrouded in darkness, this room was a stark contrast. Even though she was still plunged in darkness, Sam could see that the door was made of lighter, caramel wood and something about the ambience of the room itself gave off an air of peace and calmness- the two things that she hadn't felt for a second ever since she had gotten stuck here. Feeling vulnerable and too exhausted to assess whether or not this was a trap of some cruel kind meant for luring her in with its possibly feigned serenity in the wake of chaos, Sam felt around for the doorknob and prayed the room wasn't locked.

Her prayers seemed to be heard as the knob turned easily in her grasp and the door fell open to welcome her. Taking a deep breath, Sam quickly looked over her shoulder to see if an ominous figure dressed in Victorian black was anywhere before she went any further. Not finding him around she let out a breath of mild relief and shoved herself into the room, closing the door behind her hastily. Taking a few deep breaths and letting them out, Sam calmed herself before she looked up to see where she had entered. But the moment she did that, her eyes widened but for the first time out of surprise instead of fear.

The room that she had entered was painted lilac in colour, with streaks of lavender streaming in rays reminding her of the sky sometimes when a heavy storm had just parted. The walls were covered with wallpaper printed with hycynthias and white lilies around four-paned windows covered with silky drapes alternating between lilac and white with lavender ties while a milky coloured chandelier hung above her and a soft, fluffy carpet of coconut white lay on the floor beneath her feet. Everything was so light and airy, completely opposite to everything she had seen so far.

But what shocked her the most was how she could see it all clearly. How this place was oddly filled with radiant light. It was dark out by now, there was no electricity anywhere at all, yet this room was all lit up and plunged with light. Her sense of security heightened, Sam didn't bother to question why this was and moved deeper into the room desperate to take advantage of its comfort. She stopped however, a quick moment later, her eyes wide when she noticed something she hadn't seen before. In the centre of the room sat two identical objects that shocked her to the core.

Two baby cribs.

Blinking her eyes in shock, Sam studied the objects from where her feet stood frozen, as she tried to make sure she wasn't mistaking them for cribs when they were something else. Looking at them closely she noted that they were made of dark brown wood padded with puffy cushioning that matched the lilac on the walls. Each featured a curved face with a carved floral motif on one side and a larger backing, while their frames were consisted of bars spaced evenly apart and lavender, lace-trimmed blankets peeked out from over their edges.

Finally a large mobile with angels made of thin metal with some of their wings open and others folded down as if broken dangled high above, shining in the light and putting a natural spotlight on the tiny beds that lay beneath. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that while they were vintage, they were baby cribs for sure. Her initial shock now doubled over after her confirmation as she realized that she was in fact standing in a nursery. Her eyes never moving from the cribs, Sam couldn't help but be lost and confused. This place, this haunted mansion was the LAST place on earth she'd expect a room for babies to reside in. Why was it here? This made no sense whatsoever.

As she was trying to untangle her brain over this new mystery, her ears picked up on a sudden sound. Sam paused, alert, her heart pounding hard in her chest as she stood horrified, wondering if her tormentor, the spirit of this house had caught up with her again. But her eyes widened even more when the sound came again, and a gasp left her when she recognized what it was. It wasn't the sound of boots stepping on wood coming towards her, nor was it the sound of a door booming open or a ghost whisper in her ear. It wasn't the sound of anything she had expected. In fact, what she was hearing was a soft mixture of gurgles and small coos of delight.

The sound of babies laughing.

_"...What the hell?"_ Sam thought, in her confused, startled state. Where was that noise coming from? This house was deserted, it had been deserted for a hundred years and no one lived here. Hearing another set of innocent giggles, Sam's eyes flickered over to the set of dual cribs and her heart danced with alarmed curiosity in her chest. Could it be? When the sound came again Sam moved quickly and found herself going over to the cribs. When she reached them she moved her hand towards the blankets. She took a deep breath in before she moved fast and pulled them down in one, quick tug and gasped when she saw what was underneath. Her eyes went wide and for a few moments she just stood there gawking with her jaw wide open. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe that what she was seeing was actually there.

She raised her hands and rubbed her eyes expecting them to be gone when she opened her eyes again but that didn't happen. Even after she had finished rubbing her eyes until they itched from irritation they were still there laying in their cribs smiling up at her.

A pair of baby twins.

Her jaw slowly moving back into place, Sam noticed their frilly dresses and realized they were twin sisters. And despite the terrors of this mansion that had left her flabbergasted and terrified, Sam found her lips breaking out into a smile at the sight of the tiny infants because they were just so adorable and she had always loved kids. Deciding to let their cuteness distract her for a little longer as they seemed to bring her peace, a feeling she was severely missing, Sam narrowed her eyes and studied them in more detail. The babies almost looked like little dolls, having porcelain coloured skin, dark amber, red hair and the most beautiful sea-coloured eyes. Leaning back and looking at them in concern, Sam bit her lip in worry wondering what these poor babies were doing in this cursed place. They were all alone yet looked happy, clean and healthy as if they were well cared for in every way.

Confused, Sam wondered if someone had recently left them here. Looking down at the children sadly, Sam wondered what kind of cruel mother would abandon them, especially in this haunted place and her heart wrenched for them. They were completely defenceless and if the ghost found them, there would be nothing they would be able to do to help themselves. Wanting to help, Sam studied the cradles carefully, trying to spot some kind of clue as to whose children they were. Her eyes fell on the wooden headboards and widened when she now saw some words there that she had not seen before.

There were names carved onto the headboards. Looking at the one nearer to herself, Sam read aloud. "Natalia..." she whispered before glancing at the second one. "Ava..." she said before looking down on the child who grinned up at her as soon as she said her name. Sam bit her lip in confusion as she just looked back at them with her brain on overload. What was she going to do to help these little children? Especially when she herself was a prisoner in this house...

"Beautiful right?" A familiar, masculine voice made her spin around frantically. Sam gasped when she saw the figure clad in black again, staring at her. Immediately, Sam tensed and felt goose bumps rising and falling all over her skin as Tim Scam's familiar sea foam eyes looked at her in an unfamiliar way. It was the ghost of the mansion. He had found her again. Pale and terrified, Sam tried to think of what she could do to fend him off, only to notice that he didn't look the same as he had the last few times. His face was still Scam's but he didn't look evil in Scam's typical latent way nor the spirit's usual distant, eerie way. Right now his face seemed almost soft and kind. As if he was completely at peace.

Confused, Sam sat there on the carpet pondering over how the ghost that had been terrifying her to no end could look this way only to see him come closer. A small squeal left her and her hands flew up in defence, but her eyes widened when he just walked past her and went straight to the children. Gasping, Sam moved to scream at him to let the babies go until she saw what he was doing. He wasn't attacking them. He was just standing there looking down at the cribs calmly...and smiling. Blinking in shock, Sam watched him lower a hand and gently trace one of the babies' cheeks, the one named Ava and the moment he did that, the child let out a playful giggle, smiled at him as if he was her favourite person in the world, and began nibbling on his index finger like a teething ring.

Sam just stood there watching them interact quietly, not really knowing what to do. Should she try to slip away quietly while he was distracted? It didn't look like he was going to hurt those kids. Caught between her fear of the ghost before her and her internalized need to defend those in need, Sam unconsciously found her fear winning as she began to take subconscious steps back from where the he stood. "Are they not beautiful children?" he asked suddenly, stopping her in her tracks.

Turning around to face him with her throat dry from fear, Sam weakly nodded in response not wanting to set him off again. Watching him with scared eyes, Sam knew he was some kind of ghost that was taking Tim Scam's form and targeting her and that left her terrified. The way her heart was flickering and twisting in her chest, trying to escape like a coward told her she was terrified and she didn't know what to do. All her spy skills, all her training, it would do nothing to a spirit and that bothered her. It bothered her that for the very first time in her life she was defenceless. Completely and utterly DEFENSELESS.

_"Unless he's not a ghost..."_ Sam thought desperately. He could still be Scam right? He could still be him just messing with her...right? It was still possible...right? But all her doubts over whether or not this man, this THING was Tim Scam died in the next second when he suddenly spoke in a longing, torn voice. "They were all I ever wanted from you..." he whispered, his eyes flickering up to meet hers. "Them and...you." Sam's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes went wide at his words. What...what did he meant by that? Her jaw falling open, Sam shook her head. No, no, he couldn't mean that...he couldn't possibly mean THAT...Could he?

Frozen to her spot Sam watched him pick up one of the children and take a step towards her. "They look like little angels..." he said, holding Natalia up towards her so she could take a good look at her cute, innocent, chubby face. "Don't they?" he asked. Sam could do nothing but nod tensely in response as she remained worried over the words he had said a moment before. What had he meant by that. Not seeming to care about her confusion, nor her fear, he just smiled at her as he spoke again. "They look like they deserve long, happy lives, right?" he whispered.

Biting her lip, Sam nodded again, too scared to speak. Looking at him nod in satisfaction with her answer, Sam let out a breath of relief glad that he wasn't doing anything to scare her yet but she really couldn't tell where he was going with this and that left her panicked. Why was he asking her all these strange questions? Feeling something in her stomach jump around, Sam wasn't sure she wanted the answer to that question. She had a feeling this was going to lead up to something, and she really, really didn't want to know what.

"They look like they deserve to be loved by their mother and father...right?" he said again, letting her know his question session wasn't over. Looking back at him, Sam felt her nervousness grew when she realized he was closer to her now, standing just a couple of feet away. He was almost close enough that he could reach out and touch her. Gulping, Sam tried to moisten her throat that was clogged with fear and took a cautious step back. When she was a safe distance away, she gave him another nod to answer his latest question and waited for him to ask her something else. But it never happened.

Right after she nodded to his last question he said nothing else, and just went silent. Completely silent. So utterly silent that Sam could hear the sounds of her own. shaky breaths and bones rattling in fear. Feeling the eerie quiet nearly swallowing her mind with nervousness, Sam slowly looked up to see if he had suddenly vanished and she could run only to find him still standing there only saying nothing and just looking at her with piercing, unblinking eyes. He did that for another moment before he walked back towards the cribs in small steps and gently lay the baby girl down.

Seeing that his back was turned to her, Sam's eyes flicked to the nursery's door and an urge to run away came over her. Deciding to act on that, she shakily began to step towards it only to stop dead when he suddenly whipped around and looked at her with serious, pointed eyes. "Yes?" he said making her heart hammer as he began walking towards her again, pinning her to the spot with his fixed stare. And try as she might, Sam found that she just couldn't move. Her fear had the effect of shackling her feet and all she could do was stand there like a mouse stuck in a glue-trap.

Stopping when he was just two feet away from her, he calmly crossed her arms over his chest and looked into her scared eyes with a small smirk on his lips. "You nodded in response to all my questions...that means that you agree with everything that I said?" Biting her cheek, Sam nodded slowly and the moment she did that he suddenly threw his head back and burst out laughing. Staring at him with wide, nervous eyes, Sam had no idea what she had said to make him react that way but something about the way he was laughing made her feel like something was wrong. And she didn't like the feeling. She didn't like it one bit.

"YOU think they deserve long, lives?" he suddenly said from in between laughing, confusing her and adding to her feeling that something was wrong here. And as he kept laughing that feeling only grew stronger and stronger until it felt like there was a bell ringing in her head like a warning siren telling her to get out of here right this second. But she never got the chance as a quick second later his form shifted before her eyes and flew closer, so close that he was sharing the piece of floor she was standing trembling on and breathing her air. And then he snapped his head forward so that his nose was touching hers and glared at her. "That's goddamn rich coming from you," he spat and Sam's eyes narrowed in confusion and shock. Why...Why was he saying that? What...what did she have to do with this? Any of this?

Shaking his head at her in what looked like disgust, he moved and suddenly pointed to the babies laying in the cribs behind them. "You see these adorable children?" he said, glancing back at her and glaring harder, so hard that she could feel her skin burning under his intense, heated look. It was almost like he had lasers hidden in those eyes that were boring lines into her flesh. Sam shuddered at the effect and tried to look away from him to escape it only to gasp when he grabbed hold of her face with both hands and roughly pulled her face back towards her.

He gave her a icy look before speaking in a cold, dark voice that made her skin crawl like a caterpillar. "It was you..." he breathed out suddenly, tightening his hold on her face and letting his nails dig into her skin making her tremble. "It was you..." he hissed before trailing off and going silent. Sam stared at him wide-eyed, her heart hammering like a drum and her mind ready to burst from curiosity at his sudden quiet but a moment later she was left speechless when he gripped her shoulders harshly and spoke in a thunderous tone.

"YOU killed them!" he growled. Sam went pale and stared back at him in shock, not believing the words he had just said. "You took away their chance to live!" he hissed, shaking her by her shoulders roughly and looking angrily in her eyes. "YOU DID!" he said incriminatingly. Her jaw falling open, Sam just stood there muted from the tidal wave of shock that was rushing through her right now. His words ran through her mind over and over. _"You killed them! You took away their chance to live! You did!" _

Her heart panged in her ears like a drum as she thought over them in silence. This was so wrong. So terribly wrong. She'd never kill anyone let alone innocent, defenceless, little babies. There was no way she could be linked to their deaths, to any of their pain. "No..." she breathed out when her voice returned to her. "No..." she said, looking at him with disgust written everywhere on her face telling him she was appalled with his accusation but he only shook his head right back at her and spoke in a voice aching with painful honesty. "It was you..." he hissed. "Only YOU killed them."

Pulling away from him, Sam continued to shake her head. "No..." she whispered before she began screaming,. "No! Stop saying that!" she shouted as she backed away from him and looked at him in repulsion. How could he say that? How could he just say that? Something so cruel? This was even worse than the last horrible accusation that he had slapped on her of killing those women. It was more than horrible. It was downright low and disgusting. She hadn't even recovered from the shock of those words and now he was saying this? She wasn't going to listen to this. She was NOT going to listen to him speak these lies. She was tired of these accusations! She had nothing to do with this, with ANY of this! Not this house, not these children, not him! Nothing at all!

Having had enough, Sam opened her mouth to tell him that when suddenly the bright light in the room began to falter and go dim. And slowly the room began to tremble and a scream left Sam as the ground under her feet rolled left and right making her nearly fall. Steadying herself she looked up in panic only to see dark, sea-foam eyes looking at her with indescribable pain before their owner faded away. And then, right before the room plunged into complete darkness, a scream split from Sam's vocal chords as she saw the cribs before her with the babies still in them, slowly filling up with a thick, red, clotty liquid that she knew all too well.

BLOOD.

Horrified, she watched the lilac padding turn to an ugly red and grow heavy while the wooden frames filled with the blood that was seeping between their cracks as the level of blood rose higher and higher and soon they overflowed with the putrid, pungent liquid. Suddenly the sounds of rampant, childish crying filled her eardrums mixed with the sounds of the strangled, choking of a infants taking their final breaths and tears exploded from her eyes like fireworks as she watched their small, defenceless bodies drown in the flood of blood that burst out of the cradles and swallowed them whole like an angry tsunami. With tear-bleeding eyes, she saw the last of the tops of their tiny, hair- brushed heads, their once beautiful amber strands turning into a muddy red of decay just as the room went black.

Crying and screaming, Sam felt around in the darkness, trying to find her way out but all she could feel was the terrible feeling of hot, sticky blood everywhere around her. And slowly she felt it clinging to her body and bathing her skin in its wash. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, tasting blood on her tongue as it splashed across her face and trickled down her chin shaking her to her core. Spitting out the blood, Sam screamed again as her clothes grew heavy from soaking up the liquid and it became harder and harder to move. She felt as if she was swimming in a sea of blood, fighting a current that was too strong and she couldn't get through.

Her body was tossed around back and forth, round and round like a ship caught in a storm and Sam screamed in terror, looking around blindly for an escape but she could find none. Her hair began to stick to her skin, coated with blood and she fought to push it away to no avail. The sounds of strangled, infantile choking and crying came back again and surrounded her, haunting her eardrums as it grew louder and louder making it feel as if it was shooting out of her very ears. Screaming at the top of her lungs Sam threw her hands over her ears trying to shut it out as the sound rattled her skull and left her ears burning painfully. But it never stopped. It only grew stronger and stronger, echoing off the walls and devouring her whole as the image of the babies drowning before her ate at her mind and left tears to fall from her eyes like a raging waterfall.

Feeling her head about to burst into a thousand pieces from the magnitude of terror that she was experiencing right this moment, Sam began moving again, kicking and thrusting her feet in the blood that surrounded her and fumbling around for the door in a desperate attempt to escape. After what felt like hours her hand finally brushed against what felt like a doorknob and she snatched at it hungrily. Tears of frustration leaked from her eyes as it slipped in her blood-soaked hands and remained closed off to her. She tried again and again while fighting the noises that continued to screech and claw in her ears threatening to make her go deaf. Another scream escaped her when she could hear angry words being spoken in between the chaos and reaching her in the same, male voice that had been haunting her endlessly.

_"You killed them." _

_"You killed them!"_

_"You can't run from the truth!" _

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! Sam screamed as her tears fell harder and his voice became stronger and stronger in her mind, swallowing it in a cloud of black despair and just when she was about to give up and just collapse right there, the door fell open to her.

Seizing her chance, Sam crawled out of the doorway in a huddled heap, screaming and shuddering violently as she forced herself on her feet and ran. Blood dripped from her blood-covered clothing as she slipped and tumbled through the halls and darkness hung before her eyes, even darker than the darkness of the mansion as she felt weak from fright, fatigue and fear. She felt as if she was going to faint as the violent images she had seen plagued her mind. Tears kept falling from her eyes as the image of those children drowning in that whirlpool of blood danced before over her eyes over and over again leaving her shaken to her roots and sick to her stomach as she almost threw up while uttering screams of terror from her mouth as she bolted down the creaky stairs on her way downstairs in her attempt to get as far as possible from the scene of her latest fright. From the nightmare that he, that ghost had created for her.

She was sure now one hundred percent that Tim Scam was not this ghost. This was someone else. SOMETHING else. The blood lusting, fearsome ghost that lived in this mansion that killed all those people that she had heard dared venture inside. And this time she was the chosen victim. ITS chosen prey. Tears of panic streamed down her face as she raced down the hall with that thought eating at her mind. She was the one, the victim, the one next in line to die. It was her this ghost was after, to terrify and murder just because she had dared to enter. Because she had made that all too unforgivable mistake.

Shaking like a leaf in the wind, Sam felt despair and nothing but fear as she felt as if the walls of the mansion were closing on her, suffocating her as she struggled to escape her fate. But something in her mind told her it was no use. She had entered and for that she would suffer horrendously. She would suffer like she was already suffering, and there was nothing she could do about it but run scared like a lost, little child in a dark, lonely forest filled with horrors just waiting to attack. Just like Gretel as she was stuck in the home of the witch that wanted to devour her whole.

But unlike Gretel she was alone. She was all alone in this nightmare and there was no one that could help her out. Suddenly she froze, stopping in the middle of the hallway and a small ray of hope began to fill her mind. She wasn't...she wasn't alone in here. No, she wasn't really alone. In all her terror and confusion she had forgotten about the very man that she had been blaming up until now, the other person that had also landed in this accursed mansion with her, Tim Scam...he was here with her. And for whatever reason...he was not this ghost's intended target.

Breathing deeply, Sam's eyes widened as she remembered how Scam had not noticed anything amiss about this mansion. It was very possible then, there was a strong chance, she realized with her heart beating rampantly, that if she stuck with Tim Scam then she'd escape the horrors of this mansion. Her eyes widened even more when she recalled that the worst of things had happened to her when he was not with her. And for the first time in her life, Sam found herself desperate for Tim Scam.

Racking her brain she wondered where he was right now. Last she had seen him he had told her to get lost after getting irritated because of the stupid, and as she saw now, unrealistic accusations she been pinning on him. Sam closed her eyes in agony, cursing at herself for ever having done that because now she was paying for her lack of thought. Now she was stuck scared half to death all by herself. She wanted, no NEEDED someone who was living around her right this minute just to feel a little sanity. A little hope that she might get out of here. And right now that person that she needed more than anyone was her enemy, Tim Scam.

Not wasting another second she decided to find him and turned around in the hallway to look for him in another one as he wasn't in this one. But the moment she faced the other way her eyes widened in fear and panic as she saw what was charging towards her in heavy, all-engulfing waves.

Blood...and a whole sea of it.

Gasping, Sam stared in horror at the dark liquid of human bodily fluid that was rushing towards her angrily at a monstrous rate and soon it was nearly right upon her, so close that she could almost taste it's iron flavour. Not wanting to go through what she had in the nursery because she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it again, Sam let out a scream before she turned back and ran as fast as she could. She staggered thought the dark hallway and pushed herself to run faster and faster even though she could feel her tiredness and terror slowing her down.

She felt as if there were 1000 pound weights attached to her legs that would not let her run but still she kept running not wanting to deal with another ghostly encounter. But the blood was faster than her and caught up with ease and soon she could feel it enveloping her form and coating her body. Feeling the blood surge all around and circle her body Sam fought to keep her head above it. She felt as if she was going to drown in it as her eyes grew heavy again and she knew she was on the verge of fainting. This was too much. Too much for her to bear and she felt darkness choke her mind as she didn't know what to do. She couldn't even think. Her heart's rampant beating wouldn't slow down long enough to let her breathe so she could deliver enough oxygen to her brain to think. She was helpless.

Being knocked around by the storm of blood Sam's mind recalled all the horrors she had seen today and the feeling that she was going to die here became stronger and stronger. This wasn't just a nightmare. No, it was all her nightmares rolled into one. She couldn't take it. God, she couldn't take anymore. Suddenly hot, angry tears of failure and frustration fell from her eyes and burned her cheeks as they washed away the blood on her face. She didn't want to go down like this. She didn't want to die. Not like this! Not like this. Not like this...

Taking in a shuddering breath, Sam began to swim through the blood when she felt it nearly reach her nose and drown her. Putting all her years of training into her efforts, Sam forced her legs to move fast and hard and a few moments later she was on drier ground and the swarm of blood was left a step behind. Taking the opportunity, Sam limply grabbed on to the first doorknob she could grab and pulled it open. She threw herself inside just before the ocean of blood swallowed the entire hallway. Slamming the door shut to keep the blood stream out, Sam took deep breaths and whipped around with wide eyes, expecting the ghost to come back and scare her like he always did when she locked herself in a room she thought she was safe in. Her eyes glanced all around the dark, unfamiliar room wildly, blindly as she tried to find him there. But she couldn't find him.

Taking the moment of peace she was being given, Sam let her tears fall and cried out some of the terror she was feeling as she stood here in the darkness all by herself covered in blood from what she knew must be hundreds of bodies, in a mess of sweat, tears and fear. After a few moments she raised her hands and wiped away her tears, and looked up again cautiously, seeing if he'd come in while she was crying and feeling sorry for herself and was waiting to torment her. But he still wasn't there.

Still not seeing him, Sam thanked God and took a deep breath before slowly moving deeper into the empty room. Hearing the crackling of wood, Sam realized there was a fireplace going in here and when she walked to the centre of the room she found it. Cold and scared, and trembling from her endless shudders, she shakily walked over to it and leaned down until she was sitting on her knees. She brought her hands out and near the flames and felt tears splash down her face when she saw the blood still dripping off the sleeves of her spy-suit. Sniffling, she ignored it along with the noxious scent of blood mixed with fire when it dripped into the flames and wafted up to her nose, as she warmed her hands desperately trying to feel heat, trying to pinch some life back into her lifeless-feeling body. She felt so weak, weaker than she had ever been in all her life and it disgusted her.

Crying again, Sam felt her tears stinging her cheeks and she began looking into the fire for a distraction from her sadness. She stared at the yelping flames and took deep breaths as her mind began to relax and her tears began to dry and she began to calm down while her heartbeat started to reach it's normal pace. And as she kept her eyes on the fire a sudden thought came to her that made her eyes widen. Could it be...was it possible that this fire was built by Tim Scam? Feeing hope sweep through her at that thought, that she finally might not be the only living thing around, Sam glanced around furiously, her eyes frantic as she tried to find him. She really, really would like to see him right now. She was so scared, and lonely, she just needed some human company.

_"I don't even care if he laughs at me or calls me an idiot for believing in ghosts," _Sam thought as she craned her head around and kept searching for him. _"I just need to see him, I just need to know he's near me and I'm not alone." _Her eyes ran along the closed door and past the wall before her and next to her, before she trailed her eyes in the other corners of the den trying to locate him but to no avail. Sighing sadly, and finally giving up, Sam closed her eyes and lowered her head to try and stop her tears of sorrow from coming back. Keeping her eyes shut, she forced her eyes to swallow back her tears before she moved to open them again. As she let her eyes flutter open, her gaze suddenly fell on something she hadn't noticed before and she immediately went pale when she saw it.

There, very close to where she sat was a box, a long, over six-foot long, pure-white coloured box. Her heart drumming in her chest, Sam's throat went dry as she stared at it wide-eyed. She couldn't help but notice even though she wished she could but, the box looked very much like a casket. The only difference was that it was rectangular in shape instead of the traditional curved or cross shape of a coffin, but the reminder of death and dying was enough to leave her crawling back from it in fear. She knew better than to open it so she mustered up all her will-power and ignored it. Keeping her eyes away from it she went back to wondering where Scam might be. Had he found a way out? Biting her lip in worry Sam didn't need to think twice to know Scam would be more than willing to leave here without her. Her face grew sadder. _"Especially after how I yelled at him," _she thought as fear grew even stronger inside her. What if he had stumbled across a way out and taken it? What if she was truly alone here, all alone here at this moment? Heavy hopelessness filling her at that thought, Sam began cursing at him under her breath. "Th-that selfish...c-careless jerk," she whispered shakily as she thought about how he had probably left her behind.

Unfortunately for her it was more than likely seeing that there was no place to date Tim Scam hadn't been able to get out of, he had probably discovered a way out of this hell as well and walked out without sharing it with her.

But as she sat there bashing him in her head, suddenly an eerie, sinking feeling overcame her. She didn't know what it was, nor why she was feeling it, but she could feel this haunting, ominous feeling churning in her stomach almost painfully. Thinking maybe it was her hunger, thirst or fatigue causing it, Sam tried to steer her mind away from it and go back to muttering angry curses at Tim Scam but the feeling just got worse. It grew stronger and stronger and tightened around her mind like a prey in a python's deadly grasp until she could barely bring herself to breathe.

The sudden creaking sound of something shifting made her jump and she looked around in panic for the source. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was coming from the box she had been ignoring. The lid...it was moving. And as Sam stared at it while breathing rampantly in terrified curiosity, a quick second later the lid rumbled and shifted, falling partway off the box.

Squealing, Sam scrambled to get away from it before something happened and she moved fast. But as she ran from it, she noticed something from the corner of her eye that left her own blood freezing like ice in her veins. Her eyes wide, her colour flying off her skin until she was nearly as white as death, Sam stood there with her heart beating like crazy. She had seen it. She had seen something between the exposed crack of the case. Something that looked too much like a...

HUMAN hand.

Before she could stop herself, Sam whipped around and looked at the space between the lid and the box again and her heart began to race when she saw that she was right and it was a human hand. But what made her blood curdle was that it was not just any hand. It was a large, muscular hand with wide knuckles and powerful looking fingers. And as she stared at it, Sam's throat went dry because she had a sick, disturbing feeling that she recognized it. That she knew exactly who it belonged to. Her curiosity too much to bear, Sam found herself racing over to the casket and pulling open the lid to see who it was. And when she saw the dead man's face, she was left screaming and stumbling back in complete shock and disbelief because in the box was laying none other than:

Tim Scam.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, clutching her head as she shook it in shock. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screams ricocheted off the walls and surrounded her as she stood there pale as a ghost, staring at his familiar face. Her eyes flew from his tall build, to his familiar brown hair, and tan skin and she felt tears falling from her wide eyes in a rush of terror. He was dead...Tim Scam was...dead. He was gone. Not willing to believe that, Sam ran back to the box and took a closer look at him. Her eyes watched him carefully, closely as if trying to catch him moving in any way. Something that would prove he wasn't here, lying dead in front of her.

But he didn't move a muscle and just lay there completely stiff and unmoving. Her eyes widening even more she slowly gulped down her dry, scratchy throat. "..No," she slowly croaked out as she kept staring at him desperately. "..It can't be," she breathed out shakily while her heart beat a hundred times faster in her chest. Tim Scam, he couldn't die. He just couldn't...right? Her hand reached out shakily, cupping his cheek while her mouth began to form small, broken and desperately pleading words. "C-come on S-Scam…" she begged urgently. "O-open your eyes," she stuttered while watching his handsome face. She bit her lip and held back a sob when he didn't move, his eyes remaining totally sealed letting her know he was far away from her. It was hapless torment but she refused to give up. She didn't want to, God, she didn't want to think she was all alone.

"C-Come on Tim", she whispered, using his first name in an effort to startle him into waking up. "Please…please ju-just open your eyes," she begged again while sadly glancing towards his face as she waited for him to open his eyes but he never, ever did. Beginning to feel all her hope die, Sam shook her head and forced herself to hang on. No, he wasn't dead. He wasn't. He was just...he was...Her eyes widened as an idea came to her. He was just playing dead! That was it! He was playing dead to scare her so he could laugh at her for freaking out! She made herself believe that as she looked down at him and shook her head at the lengths this man would go to harass her while her mind tried to ignore how still he looked, how pale his once tan skin now was because he had to be alive.

Taking a deep breath in, Sam waited for another moment before deciding to tell him he had had his fun, he had her scared to death and now he could open his eyes, sit up and laugh at her. "...Okay Scam," she said firmly as she scolded herself for falling for his trick. "You're very funny...really, you got me good," she admitted. "Now can you please get up?"

She waited for him to stir and found herself staring at his lips, waiting for them to stretch into his normal, arrogant smirk. She could almost hear him laughing at her in her head but his lips never moved before her. They just stayed in a straight line on his face, unmoving, pale and still. Dread began to creep through her again but she pushed it aside and spoke to him again. "Scam...I- I said you can get up now," she said, louder, making sure he would hear her. But he still didn't move. Slowly the frightening truth returned to haunt her as he just lay there stretched out in the white box before her quietly. Tim Scam was looking very much dead. Very, very much like a corpse...

"No…" she whispered before she found herself screaming the same word out loud. "No!" she roared before she glared down at him angrily. Enough was enough, He had taken this joke way too far. She was going to put an end to this now. "Wake up Tim Scam!" Sam screamed as if it was an order he would, that he just had to follow. When he didn't move at all again, tears tumbled down her cheeks like endless rivers as shock and misery surrounded her. He wasn't waking up, Oh God, he wasn't moving at all.

"No!" Sam screamed before she grabbed hold of his stiff shoulders and began shaking him harshly. "Why are you doing this?" she screamed as she kept shaking him, hoping to wake him from his dead-looking state. "Wake up Scam! I know you're not dead! You can't die! You can't!" She kept screaming, shaking his body until her arms ached from the effort and she felt her tears blurring her eyes until she could no longer see. She finally dropped her arms to her side and looked at him in disbelief while her tears kept coming. Then, as a final, last ditch effort she felt for a heartbeat and checked for a pulse only to find none, once and for all confirming what she had been desperately trying to deny. Tim Scam was dead. He was no more.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a loud scream sprang from her mouth as that thought sank in fully and embedded itself into her mind. Somehow, someway the ghost of this mansion had gotten to him. It had to be the ghost because she was sure nothing else could kill Tim Scam. But IT had. It had found him and murdered him and now she was alone. ALL ALONE. Violent shudders thundered through her flesh as her body shook in terror and she shivered like she was standing naked in the middle of the Antarctic. And what was once just a scary thought now became of crushing, horrific reality that she could not escape. She was all by herself in here. All on her own now in this haunted mansion.

_She was all alone! _

_She was all alone!_

_She was ALL ALONE!_

Suddenly the fire that was burning in the fireplace blew out in a puff of smoke and a terrorized cry erupted from Sam's mouth as she ran out of the room frantically. She ran without looking anywhere, without thinking anything as tears rained down from her eyes like a rainstorm and her sobs kept coming. Her head was all over the place, caught up in the blood, the screams, the cries, the deaths and the darkness and all she could feel was the feeling of dread gripping her shaking form and the colour of blood dancing everywhere before her eyes. She just wanted to get out. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to go home. Now. NOW! RIGHT NOW!

Stumbling and falling in the darkness, Sam searched around crazily but was unable to find the main door. Desperate and crying endlessly, she began running up and down the hallways like a madwoman looking for any door that seemed to lead out and tugging and pulling on the doorknobs with her last ounce of her slowly fading strength. But none of the doors opened for her. She tried again and again, then all over again but they didn't budge, leaving her trapped in her nightmare.

Frantic to get out at any cost, Sam began screaming for help. "Help!" she screamed. "Somebody help me!" she shouted regardless of the fact that she knew no one was here to hear her desperate cries for a rescue but herself. "Get me out of here!" she screamed, kicking the doors and pounding her fists against them as she tried to claw them down. "Let me outttttttttttttttttttttttt!" She roared as she kept hitting the doors like a lab animal trapped in a cage, struggling to get out, like a bug stuck in a spider web, tangled and breathing its last breaths as death came closer and closer like a dark funnel cloud. "Somebody save me! Help me!" she kept screaming.

"Anybody! Please! Pleaaassssssssse!" she begged, her screams bouncing off the empty hallways and returning to her ears in deafening booms making her head want to burst again but she didn't give up as she kept screaming and shouting until her throat was raw and nearly ready to bleed from exertion. Suddenly she paused, taking a sharp intake of breath when she felt a hand firmly grasping her shoulder from behind.

Her body began to shake and rattle like earthquake struck ground, her heart bouncing and falling in her chest as she teeth chattered like broken bones and slowly she turned herself around. And when she did, her jaw fell open in shock as she saw the face of the person who was standing there looking at her with concerned, worried eyes.

It was Tim Scam.

Heaving in a breath, Sam froze on the spot and stared at him with her eyes pulled wide open in disbelief and terror. There he was before her, looking like she had just left him before running into that closet filled with dead women. Her throat clogged up like a blocked drain in horror as she realized he looked just like he had as he had lay dead in that casket before her. Before he had stopped being alive...

Before he had DIED.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed loudly as she raised her hands and pushed his hand off her shoulder quickly. She fell over her feet and backed up in fear and began flailing her arms towards him madly. "Don't...Don't touch me!" Sam screamed defensively as she stared at him in fear and dread. She knew this was not Tim Scam. Tim Scam was dead. He was dead for sure. She had just seen his dead, unmoving, unbreathing body! She had checked his heartbeat and his pulse and there had been nothing! Nothing at all. Tim Scam was gone, and this person, this THING was not him.

Taking more and more steps back from him, Sam stared at him pale and shaking knowing that he was either now his own ghost after his untimely death or worse, his body was being possessed by the same evil spirit that had been haunting her for hours and trying to trick her. Whoever he was, Sam knew, he was here to make her suffer again, all over again and she knew she could not let it happen. She couldn't, she just couldn't! She couldn't bear to suffer any more fear and torment! She wasn't going to let it happen to her anymore! Not again! NEVER again! Staring at him with wide, scared eyes, she kept her back pressed against the wall she had huddled herself against. He stared back at her with confused, lost eyes as if asking what the hell was wrong with her as he came a little closer. "What's wrong?" he said, concern everywhere in his tone as he watched her pale. tear-streaked, frightened face at the sight of him. He frowned. "I know you don't like me but..." Sam shuddered some more, something he noticed as he said, "Sam, calm down."

Sam's heart nearly stopped in the walls of her chest in the next moment when he reached out and tried to hold her shoulders, as if trying to soothe her. Jerking herself away, Sam screamed and lashed her arms out at him viciously. "No! Leave me alone!" she roared as she backed up away from him in the opposite direction. The confused and puzzled look on his face only grew as he watched her as if she was crazy. And she knew he was trying to make it look like he was still alive and she was wrong about having seen him die. But she wasn't. She knew she wasn't! And she wasn't going to let him fool her.

Seeing him taking another step closer to her and open his mouth to speak to her again, Sam began shouting to let him know she wasn't going to buy his act. "Leave me alone!" she growled, as she moved back again. Pointing a shaky, trembling finger at him she screamed, "I know you're dead!" she shouted. "You're DEAD!" she said firmly. "I saw your dead body!" she cried before she turned and bolted down the hall screaming and crying hysterically.

Staring at her run away, Scam blinked his eyes a few times before screaming out in a confused, frustrated and annoyed voice. "Seriously Sam? What the hell?" he shouted after her. "I'm not dead!" But she didn't hear him as she kept running like a freak and screaming like a banshee.

Listening to her shrill screams of terror that he knew were because of him, he stood in the hallway watching her with sad, hurt-filled eyes as her form grew smaller and smaller as she got away. "Fine..." he whispered, sighing softly, agonizingly. "Just run away again..."

* * *

><p>Her body sped along, hitting and slamming into walls and sealed doors filling her with pain to join her horror. Her limbs ached and burned from tiredness and injury and she felt as if her body was being hacked into pieces from the inside out. She felt betrayed, angry and hurt because her own body was working against her, not letting her be strong enough to cope with all that had happened and all that was happening to her.<p>

It seemed as if she was being sucked into a dark vacuum of despair , spiralling deeper and deeper as memories of this nightmarish day kept gnawing and ripping at her mind, tearing at her thoughts and reminding her that she was a dead girl. Yes, she was going to die, she was going to DIE, just like HE had.

Just like Tim Scam.

Screaming again at the memory of his death, Sam ran faster and faster, her lungs draining of all their oxygen as she screamed her heart out. He had died, he head died in this house and she would follow. She would be murdered and mutilated and destroyed by the ghosts that crept along these halls. By the ghost of the mansion or Scam's restless spirit. She would die at the ghostly, inhumane hands of whoever got to her first, and she didn't know who it would be but she was sure she was going to die. She was going to DIE and there was nothing she could do about it.

_Nothing._

_Nothing._

_NOTHING._

Shaken to her core, Sam shivered furiously as she glanced around while she sprinted. Even when the walls didn't move, and were dead still, she felt them move in her mind. She could sense it, feel it at the corner of her eye, a feeling of crawling, creeping motion that was sneaking towards her. That something was coming closer and closer. It was engraved in her mind now, a constant sense of being watched, the feeling of being observed by ghostly, demonic eyes that were peering too close nearby. Watching her as a target, a toy, a piece of meet to snatch up and devour. To kill, to hunt, to eat. To finish off.

Tired, drained and terrified, Sam didn't know what to do or where to go. Where to run. Where should she run? Where, when all doors led to suffering and there was no way out? She was all alone. There was no help. No protection. No one to lean on. No one. Just emptiness to haunt her and the resonances of her own petrified screams to give her chilling company with every rickety step she took. Shaking and feeling her lungs nearly popping in her chest from her continual straining of them, Sam knew she had to stop. If she didn't stop running now, she'd just pass out and be done for right here and now. With aching legs, Sam stumbled into whatever room she could find unlocked.

Closing the door she collapsed onto the floor. Laying there for a few moments she heaved in heavy, constricted breaths to try and regain some oxygen before forcing herself to get up on her knees and crawl. With pulsing legs, she crawled in the dark until her body hit a wall and she realized she was in a corner of the room. Throwing her arms around her knees, Sam huddled up into a fetal position, trying to hide inside herself from her nightmare. Holding herself tight, Sam burst into a storm of tears as she rocked back and forth on the hardwood floor and kept crying louder and louder, unable to stop. She wanted release. She wanted freedom from this horrific nightmare. She couldn't take another moment more of this. She just couldn't. "L-let me go," Sam silently begged the ghosts that she knew were watching her misery and laughing. "P-pl-please L-let me go," she pleaded as her tears kept erupting like an unstoppable volcano, burning her face like hot lava. Then suddenly a voice broke through the sounds of her sobs and cries for mercy.

"You really shouldn't be crying when this is all your fault," it said ruthlessly. Snapping her head up, Sam looked around frightened only to let out a scream when she saw it was her personal hell again, donned in black, standing there with a hard, unforgiving look on his once familiar face. Pressing her back against the wall until she could feel the cold surface nearly slicing into her back like an icicle shard, Sam shook her head furiously while her hands flailed madly in weak defence. "N-no! L-leave...Leave me alone!" she roared. "G-go away!" she shouted desperately.

He only shook his head and drifted closer to her. "I can't leave you alone..." he whispered as he took another few steps and stopped right before her. Looking her in the eye he shook his head. "I just can't." Gripping her hair in her fists, Sam shook her head in disbelief. "Why?" she cried, her angry question beating off the cold, dark walls as tears soaked her skin continuously. Why couldn't he let her go? She'd been here for hours! She was scared to her mind's end and couldn't take anymore. Why couldn't he see that? Crying like a little girl, Sam hugged her body tighter and sobbed out her frustration and fear. "Why not?" she asked bitterly as she sniffled. "Haven't you had enough fun?" she asked, surprised when his lips formed a thin line on his face and a hurt expression formed on his face. Thinking she was maybe getting somewhere, Sam desperately screamed again. "Aren't you tired of tormenting me?"

Soon his mouth formed a scowl and he looked at her with eyes filled with pain and suffering. "I could say the same thing to you..." he spat icily. "It would be _much_ more fitting." Throwing her hands out in a questioning way, Sam looked at him in confusion. "What did I ever do to you?" she asked, knowing he was punishing her for nothing. She didn't even know him! "What have I ever done to you?" she shouted. Letting out a huff, he crept closer. "How conveniently we forget," he said, quirking an eyebrow as he lowered down towards her and sat on his legs to be closer to her. Reaching out he grasped her chin, ignored how she trembled at his touch and started talking to her in a soft, low whisper. A pure contrast to the daunting one he had just been speaking in. "There was a time when I could just..." he took a deep breath in before his fingers moved and began tracing her face. Sam froze in place, a small whimper of fear leaving her, something that didn't seem to bother him one bit as his ghostly hands danced all over her face, running across her forehead, taking in the shape of her nose, outlining her trembling lips before finally cupping her cheek.

Taking another deep breath he spoke in a torn sounding whisper. "There was a time...A time I could just take one look at you and drown in you..." he said huskily. "You..." he said, his voice heavy with emotion as he gripped her even closer and made sure she was looking straight into his eyes. "You had ALL of me, every bit of me to yourself and you..." he suddenly stopped, his face losing the sudden softness it had gained in the last moment and Sam sat there staring at him, her eyelashes curling in fear as she was stuck between his body and the wall, his hands still trapping her face. Gulping down her throat, Sam just stared at him, not even daring to breathe because he was too close right now. His eyes looked darker, tinged with rage and that alone was enough to frighten her into not even having the will to let her eyelids fall and blink. "You..." he said again before stopping one more time. Wondering what he was trying to say, Sam kept looking at him with terror and curiosity but a moment later her terror tipped over to the paramount level as he let out an angry roar like a freshly wounded tiger and snatched her up with her arm.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, struggling to get away, but his grip was like an iron trap and in the next moment he had lifted her two feet off the floor and then thrown her across the room. Screaming on the top of her lungs, Sam flew across the room before her body crashed down on a mattress. Alarmed, Sam opened her eyes and looked around, only to notice she had landed on a bed that she hadn't seen before. Hearing footsteps, Sam looked up and screamed when she saw him advancing towards her hungrily. Fumbling with her tired body, Sam threw her legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up and run only to be left screaming again when he suddenly reached her, pushed her back down and sat over her. Sam screamed over and over as he battled her thrusting arms and won as he pinned them on either side of her head leaving her completely at his mercy. Refusing to give up, Sam kept struggling but he ignored it and spoke in an angry, vicious growl. "How could you do that to me?" he roared as he pressed her arms down harder and looked at her with eyes like boiling embers of trapped fury. "How could you hurt me so badly?" he hissed.

Shivering as she lay trapped, Sam kept her eyes on him as her chest heaved up and down while goose bumps travelled up and down her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't even breathe. Her body was completely frozen, completely paralyzed from fear as she looked back into dark, angry, hurt sea-coloured eyes, a storm raging in them as he looked at her like she was a sinner. And even though she knew she wasn't all she could do was stare at him in horror as he looked at her like that. She could think of no words to calm him down. Her fear was far too great to let her think at all. Watching her for another moment, he sighed tiredly before he brought his head down and placed it in the crook of her sweat-coated neck.

Biting her lip, Sam held her breath being able to feel the physical contact just as strongly as she could feel his hands pinning her arms down. It didn't look like he was going to fade away any time soon. She felt her heart sink even lower in her chest. "How could you leave me?" he softly whispered into her skin, bringing her attention back to him again when she felt his lips grazing her skin, leaving her stiff. Keeping his head where it was he spoke again. "Tell me, my love..." he ushered as he pressed into her harder, leaving Sam to bite her lip harder as fear hammered inside her like a mallet beating up and down. "How could you run away from me?" he asked. Sam said nothing as she took deep breaths, too scared, lost and confused to even deny knowing him anymore.

When she said nothing in response he raised his head off her neck, leaving her to let out a breath of relief but that got stuck in her neck the moment she saw the angry glare he was greeting her with. And before she could even react to it, he brought his head down in a quick rush of motion and slammed his lips onto hers in a hard, rough kiss. Sam's eyes went wide, ready to pop from their sockets as her body went slack while her brain registered what was happening. He was kissing her. This ghost...this evil spirit was kissing her. Letting out a muffled scream from under his lips, Sam resumed struggling beneath him. She twisted her body under his, left and right but he wouldn't budge as he only answered her pursuit to get away by making his kiss rougher and more demanding.

A horrified gasp left her in the form of a frightened squeal when he suddenly bit into her lower lip, thrust his tongue into her mouth and forcefully deepened the kiss. Terrified, Sam kept trying to get away but he wouldn't let her go and soon his hands released hers and began dragging down her form, starting with her chest and moving downward as he roamed her body all over the place, groping and rubbing. She could feel his touch seeping through her spy suit. His hands were like fire, burning through the fabric. She felt as if she was naked. Knowing she had to escape before he got any further, Sam raised her now free hands and tried to push him off of her but his body was like a brick wall and the harder she pushed against him the stronger he seemed to get.

Letting out another muffled protest from against his lips, Sam thrashed under him, growing weaker and weaker as she lost all her oxygen at the hands of his never-ending, invasive kiss. Her body twittered and shook as his hands inched across every bit, every part of her. A scream left her when his mouth finally left hers. "S-Stop it!" she screamed as loud as she could while stuttering but he never heard her as he shifted and brought his mouth to her throat. He ran his lips down her neck, slowly, teasingly, as if wanting to let every moment absorb itself in her mind. His teeth scraped down her throat, leaving a faded line before his tongue darted out and licked the area.

Trembling beneath him, Sam kept screaming over and over. Her screams became more erratic when he suddenly gripped the collar of her spy suit and ripped it open. Hearing her zipper snap open, Sam screamed at the top of her lungs as she felt his hot, heady breaths hitting her exposed skin, dancing around her cleavage and chilling her to the bone. He brought his head down, placing it against her heaving chest before he kissed around the edges of her bra, his mouth wetting her untouched skin leaving her to scream louder than ever. She kept screaming for him to stop as he kissed her all over her chest, down her abdomen, across her stomach never stopping in his assault on her shivering form.

His hands kept moving and soon he was making a fist of her hair in on hand while his other hand gripped the torn front of her spy suit and pushed it further and further apart, exposing more and more of her pale, sweaty skin to himself. "No!" Sam screamed, tears bursting from her eyes when she felt his hands brush against the band of her underwear. Just like always, he didn't hear her as he placed kisses against her entire front, fast, fleeting kisses as if he couldn't get enough of her.

His arms held her tight, shifting around to wrap around her waist as he sucked the side of her neck and raised her body up so that her chest was plastered against his. Then he suddenly stopped. He held her shuddering form against him for a few moments, just holding her tight and breathing against her neck. Trapped in his arms, Sam blinked her tear-soaked eyes and gulped wondering if maybe he was done with her and was letting her go. Her naive assumption faltered in the next moment when he pulled her torn spy suit down, off her arms before peeling it down her back. Then his fingers grasped the back of her bra. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, beating her fists against his chest where they were stuck against his chest but he kept going, snapping open one clasp, then the next, then the last until her breasts spilled out of her loosened bra.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, crying madly as she felt him jerk off her bra in one swift arc of motion. Pushing her back down onto the soft mattress, He tossed her bra aside and moved his hands down, grasping what he hadn't removed of her spy suit and pulling if off her form. Soon he had dumped the green fabric in a heap next to her bra. When his hands moved down to her last article of clothing, her underwear, Sam began to struggle like mad, twisting like a wounded snake and crying, and screaming like a trapped animal. Her underwear was pulled off her legs swiftly and dumped aside despite her struggles and a loud cry erupted from Sam's throat as what he was going to do to her became more than obvious.

She was going to be raped. Raped by this ghost or demon or whatever he was and she could do nothing. Sam felt her tears grow hot and angry as reality struck her like a thunder bolt. She couldn't do anything to stop him. Her teeth chattering in fear, Sam looked at his face and felt herself grow even more afraid at the look in his eyes, at how dark and distracted they were. And she knew what that look meant. It meant that he couldn't hear her screams nor see her tears. It meant that he didn't want to. No, all he wanted was to damage her even more than he already had and nothing was going to stop him.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Another scream boomed out of her lungs when his gaze grew even darker as his clothes vanished in a flash and he was left, as naked as he had made her, laying atop her heavily with his eyes aching with lust and need. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed as she felt his bare, muscular, hard exterior digging into hers. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She shouted, her tears shooting out of her eyes violently as her skin became even paler and her body even weaker as realization set in, He wasn't going to stop, He would not stop. Not until he had ruined her. Looking at her face with burning eyes, he took deep, heavy breaths before he shifted again, this time grabbing her knees.

Knowing that the end was near for her, Sam screamed again as she felt him moving to position himself over her. "No!" she cried. "No! Let me go!" she begged but he didn't react at all, simply looking at her with those same, longing eyes as he gripped her knees harder and slowly began to spread her legs apart. Sam sealed her eyes and screamed one last time, as loud as she could as she felt her body about to be helplessly violated. But a moment later her eyes snapped open when she felt his grip loosen on her knees, not nearly as strong as before.

And when she opened them fully, a gasp left her when she saw that his form had begun to fade. She watched his eyes go wide as he looked at his own hands and saw them turning ghostly clear before an angry, frustrated hiss left his lips, terrifying her. But a quick second later his hold on her broke completely and Sam didn't wait for one second. She seized the moment, quickly snatching up her clothes, rolling herself off the bed and running as fast as she could out of the room.

Crying and screaming, Sam sniffed and swallowed her tears while she ran in terror, clutching her clothes close to her sweat-smeared, panting, naked form as what she had almost experienced haunted her more than anything else. She had almost been raped. She had almost lost her virginity in the worst way imaginable. Crying louder as that thought kept running through her mind, Sam grabbed a door handle and twisted it open before she rushed inside to dress herself. Moving as fast as she could with shaky hands and tears blurring her eyes like acid, Sam hiccupped and choked on her sobs as she pulled on her underwear and bra. The chilled air of the cold room bit into the areas he had kissed and licked, freezing her to the spine as it clung to the moisture of his saliva on her skin. Not wanting to be reminded of what she had endured, Sam fought with her tangled spy suit and pulled it on her shuddering form. She straightened it out as best as she could and it took her exactly six attempts to zip it up because of how badly her fingers were trembling.

When she was covered from head to toe, she collapsed onto the floor and cried her eyes out. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sam sobbed harder and harder as she shook her head madly, trying to erase the memories but to no avail as they wouldn't let her go. She had been through too much in this place to forget. Tears running down her face in messy lines, Sam lay down on the floor and took shuddering breaths, pressing her face into the cold ground as she tried to block everything out and pray. She prayed for all she worth to get out of here. She prayed for the ground to open up beneath her and swallow her whole. She prayed for anything, anything to happen but him coming back after her again. She couldn't, no she couldn't face him again. But she was stuck in his domain, his castle and she knew it was only a matter of time. A matter of:

_Moments,_

_Seconds,_

_**Milliseconds...**_

Before she saw him again. "No..." Sam sobbed, bitterly. "God no, not again," she begged as she prayed again for a rescue. She needed help, she needed a rescue. She needed someone to save her right now before her brain shut down and she surrendered. She could take no more. No more.

NO MORE.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Sam opened her eyes to shake away the tears and go back to crying in helpless despair when she froze. Her eyes went wide and she sat upright in a flash when she thought she saw something. A person. Her heart clenched in her chest out of fear, thinking it was him again but her eyes widened even more when she realized, squinting in the darkness and seeing with the help of the moonlight in the darkness that it wasn't him. No it looked like a woman...a lady.

She was standing there, at the window, leaned against it and looking outside. Feeling hope fill her heart and knowing she was ready to ask anyone for help by now, Sam scrambled up on her feet and raced over to her. If anyone knew a place out of here, it had to be her because she was still alive and wasn't shuddering and shaking in fear. No she looked calm and Sam knew that had to mean she wasn't afraid. That meant she felt safe. That meant she had to know she wasn't trapped in here and could get out. She had to have the information, just the thing Sam had desperately, blindly been looking for, for the last several, dreadful hours while being stuck in this mansion of her nightmares._ "She can help me..." _Sam thought before her heart nearly burst with happiness._ "She can get me out!" _she thought, almost smiling through her tears when she stopped short having noticed something strange about the girl.

She.

Wasn't.

...Moving.

Biting her lip, Sam watched her closely as she stood with her back to her trying to catch her moving in any way. But it didn't happen. She just wasn't moving. Forget moving...it didn't even look like she was breathing. Feeling fear crawling back insider her like poisonous vines, Sam took a shaky breath in as she studied the mysterious woman standing a few feet away from her. Narrowing her eyes, Sam squinted in the darkness and saw that the lady had long, red hair, very much like her own, only hers was done up in an elaborate, old-fashioned style updo with half the ends, curled up and half spilling down her back delicately. Blinking her eyes, Sam wondered why she was dressed so fancily while being in this place only to have her eyes widen when she noticed the dress she wore. It was white in colour but not plain. It was a long, voluminous, lacy, glitter embroidered gown that looked almost like...too much like a wedding dress.

Biting her lip, Sam blinked a few times, an eerie feeling filling her as curiosity pounded at her mind. And while part of her told her she should know better by now, Sam still found herself reaching out to touch the woman's shoulder to get her attention. But as soon as she touched her, the girl's body came toppling back and fell right on top of her with a crash. Squealing in surprise, not having seen that coming, Sam scrambled to get away. She struggled under her weight but could not get out from under her. Raising her hands, Sam moved to push the woman off her so she could escape. But the second she raised her off her body, her eyes went wide as saucers and her jaw fell open as her heart hammered in her chest upon recognizing the girl. There, in a wedding dress, a knife through her heart, with blood running down her chest as if she was freshly butchered was none other than...

Herself.

A scream split out of her mouth as soon as her voice returned to her. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed as she shoved the body, her own body, away from herself and crawled backwards. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, as she kept dragging herself back as far as she could. Her eyes, horrified, remained stuck on the dead body before her, her own face, as she lay dead and she didn't even know what to think anymore. What did this mean? What did it mean? She asked herself angrily but didn't have an answer. The only thing she had was her fear and it couldn't grow any more than it was right now. Her heart couldn't beat any faster as it was right now as she sat there pale, panicked and lost as she gazed upon her own corpse wrapped in a wedding dress. This made no sense. It made no sense at all to her!

Breathing deep and trying to get a grip, Sam found herself jumping again when she saw a flash of lightening appear next to the woman's body, brilliant and bright and soon Scam's figure, clad in black was once more in front of her. Seeing him, Sam screamed knowing she couldn't be around him anymore, not even for a moment. After he had nearly raped her, after all he had done to her mind and soul she couldn't deal with him no more. Not for another second more. She had to get away! She had to outrun him somehow! Screaming, Sam turned to run out of the room but was left screaming louder when his form reassembled in front of her again and blocked off her path. Feeling trapped, Sam screamed again, feeling like she was going to faint at any second. Her head felt like it was going to split into a million, tiny pieces, burst into smithereens. She seriously couldn't take his mind numbing torture anymore. She just couldn't!

"You can't outrun your fate," he said darkly as he began advancing towards her again. Screaming again, Sam turned the other way to try and not see him but he just flashed before her all over again and spoke in that same demanding, apocalyptic tone while his eyes looked damningly into hers. "You have to face it." Throwing her hands over her ears, Sam blocked out his voice and turned back to the doorway and ran without looking back. She kept racing down the hallway, kept going even though she could still hear his voice behind her, following her like a trail of noxious smoke that would catch up to her no matter how fast she pushed her feet to run. His voice kept roaring in her eardrums like a warning bell, like the call of death, like the end of the world:

_"You have to face your fate!"_

_"You can't leave me behind like this!"_

_"You can't escape your destiny!" _

Frightened down to her core, Sam kept running. She kept forcing herself to sprint forward even though the pain in her legs was so bad that tears were falling from her eyes. She knew she couldn't stop. No, no! He was too close for her to stop! If she stopped even for a second, even to catch her breath, he would catch her and then-No! She couldn't let it happen.

Trying to run even faster, Sam soon found herself yelping when she tripped over her own feet and fell because she was completely out of energy. Shuddering, she weakly turned her head over her shoulder to see if she was far enough from him to be free to take a breath. But her eyes went wide and a strangled cry left her when she saw that he was close, very close and was looking at her with eyes swimming with intent, dark with possessiveness, longing and indescribable thirst.

"You're mine..." he said roughly a he drifted closer. "You're mine. Mine, always mine," he chanted leaving her to scream in horror. Trying to get up, Sam crashed back down because her legs refused to carry her any longer leaving her helpless. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed as she tried hitting her legs with her hands to make them work again. But it was no use. Realizing she was stuck and could no longer even run, Sam opened her mouth and wailed and kept wailing as she watched him coming nearer and nearer.

Looking at her with those same possessive eyes he spoke again. "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health..." Sitting on the floor, Sam felt her heart beating a thousand times faster in her chest as she kept screaming while her lungs felt like they were going to explode in her chest. Then in the next moment, blood filled the hallway in the form of a familiar murky sea. And Sam found herself screaming and shouting harder than ever when it all came back, everything she had witnessed in this home. There was blood everywhere, everywhere her eyes could see and in the midst of it she could see floating bodies of dead, young women with red hair and green eyes, two tiny, blood-soaked bodies of children just born and her own body dressed in a white dress, the knife still stick in her heart, now turning blood red in the ugly current of putrid liquid.

It was all rushing towards her at a maddening pace and seemed to get closer and closer with every shaky breath she took and she felt as if she was going to really drown this time. She couldn't move. This time she was stuck to her place, waiting to be washed over by the angry storm thundering towards her. She was helpless. Completely helpless. It was all over. Her heart's beating speed up even more and Sam clutched at her chest as the beating became almost painful. Almost unbearable.

"You can't outrun your fate," she heard his voice taunt again, leaving her to scream as she saw how much closer he had come to where she sat ready to be attacked all over again. "You can't do that," he hissed. "No one can. No, we belong together." He took a final step closer and stopped right in front of her as looked her deep in her fear-widened eyes. "Not even death can make us part."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, her scream shattering her ears and her mind, and she felt her heart stop in her chest for just a second, before she finally regained some strength and suddenly found her legs able to move again. Getting up with haste, Sam ran away from him as far as she could. Screaming and crying violently, she kept racing away crazily, never looking back and never stopping shouting long enough to hear the absence of the voice, of the sea of blood that had been shooting towards her just a second before. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, "AHHHHHHHHHH!" as she ran like a blind person, breathing hard and running with no idea where she was running to and just wanting to keep running. A moment later her body collided against something big and strong standing in her path.

Startled, Sam squealed before looking up, half expecting to see another dead body or her nightmare in black before her in solid form again, but only to see the man she thought she'd never see alive again standing there dressed in his familiar modern black jeans, white open-collared polo and woollen trench coat. It was Tim Scam, her Tim Scam and not anyone else. Letting out a shuddering breath of relief, Sam moved on impulse and threw her arms around him, gripping his torso for dear life as she held him close. Ignoring how he stiffened against her, Sam snuggled into him knowing he wasn't dead as she had previously thought upon seeing his dead body.

Because she had seen her own dead body, dressed in a strange dress not too long ago and she knew she was alive so that meant he must be too. That meant that she wasn't all alone after all. When that realization sunk in, that she was finally safe, Sam found herself breaking down right there. Tears burst from her eyes as she pressed against him, soaking his shirt with her tears of pain and terror and misery as she cried and cried, trying to let out every horrific thing she had felt today. "Calm down Sam," he whispered gently, as he moved his arms and wrapped her in a hug, holding her close to his body. But Sam couldn't bring herself to stop, instead she choked on a fresh sob and fisted the material of his shirt as she kept crying continuously into his chest. It was too much. It had been too much and she was too freaked out to just stop feeling afraid.

Slowly rubbing her back, Scam spoke again in an even gentler tone. "It's okay, Sam," he whispered, real concern in his voice as he held her firmly against him. "Stop crying please?" he said, as he placed his chin atop her head and brought her even closer. "It's all over. It's okay now."

Nodding her head, Sam kept herself close to him as she tried to calm down. He was right, it was all over. Whatever it was, it seemed to be gone. Biting her lip, Sam wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. Was it possible? Her fear of this mansion had always been such a big fear and after getting trapped in it maybe her imagination had wandered. Wanting to believe that it had just been a terrible invention of her mind, Sam nodded her head again and made herself believe it because she couldn't hear any more evil voices or sounds of rushing blood, nor bodies falling, or babies crying.

Everything was calm now.

She had to have had a nightmare and her nightmare was gone now. That was all that mattered to her. That IT was all over.

Letting out a shaky breath of relief Sam began mumbling to the man that was holding her. "I...I had the scariest nightmare just now..." she whispered softly. "It...it was awful," she said as she felt his chin nuzzle the top of her head as he nodded in response. Feeling peace after such a long time, Sam stayed where she was, against Scam as he held her close and she held him tight. She drew strength from his body and told herself it was okay. That everything was alright and she had nothing to fear any more.

Finally managing in calming herself down, Sam moved to pull away from Scam and apologize for jumping on him like this, only to have her eyes widen and her throat go dry when she saw something on the floor from over his broad shoulder. Right there, on the floor was laying her own body, her eyes wide open and lifeless just as they had been when she had seen herself in that wedding dress but this time she was wearing the same, green spy suit that was on her body right now. Taking in a shuddering breath and going pale again, Sam closed her eyes bitterly knowing what this meant.

Her nightmare wasn't over.

Sighing tiredly, Sam looked back into Scam's eyes through her own that were going teary again. "You don't see it do you?" she asked shakily, as she bit her lip sadly. "You don't see my body on the floor," she said as she pointed behind his shoulder even though she knew he wasn't going to see it. Why would he when he hadn't seen anything else? Tears splashing down her cheeks again, Sam pulled away from him and sobbed. "Why?" she asked him sadly even though she knew he wouldn't have the answer. Gripping her aching head, Sam shook it from side to side as she cried harder. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked as she backed away from the body on the floor, not wanting to see it. Not wanting to see anything at all.

"Why? Why? Why?" she kept asking as she kept stepping backwards. A small whimper left her when she tripped on a loose floorboard and went falling back towards a wall. Closing her eyes, she didn't even bother trying to stop her fall, she was just too exhausted to do anything anymore. Baring her teeth she waited to collide into the wall behind her half hoping a blow to her head would wake her up from this terrible dream.

But it never happened.

A moment later her body passed through the wall as if she was made of air and she landed on the other side. Her eyes going wide, Sam let out a scream as she realized what had just happened. She had just...she had just went through a wall. Confused and frightened out of her mind, Sam fell back on the floor and sat there staring at the wall. She kept her eyes on it, trying to see if it really wasn't there at all and that was why she had gone through it like that. But the wall never vanished. Her skin going even colder, Sam blinked wondering how she had done that. How had she gone through a wall? She wasn't some ghost! No, she wasn't some spirit! _"This...this makes no sense!" _Sam thought. Only non-living things had the ability to go through walls! And she, she was alive! She was-"

Sam's eyes narrowed as a biting suspicion took over her mind. She wasn't...no she couldn't be...dead...right? Gulping dryly, Sam was about to dismiss that absurd thought when her eyes widened as she realized that her heart wasn't hammering in her chest as it had been ever since she had stepped into this place. In fact...she couldn't feel her heart at all. Startled, Sam brought her hands up to her heart and placed them against it as she felt around for a heartbeat. Her stomach churned when she found none. Her heart...it was no longer beating. _"Wha-what's going on?" _Sam thought as her body began to shake out of fear and confusion. She couldn't be dead. No...it didn't make any sense.

Desperate to prove herself right, Sam picked up her left arm and checked her pulse. Her eyes widened even more and her breath stopped coming entirely when she found none. None at all. Her pulse just wasn't there. "I...I'm dead..." Sam whispered to herself not being able to believe it but knowing nothing else made sense. She had no pulse and no heartbeat, and she had just seen herself go through a wall. She was no longer living. She was...SHE WAS DEAD. _"Oh my God,"_ Sam thought as her tears came down like rain down her face and a million shudders filled her form, leaving her shaking as if she was being electrocuted.

She was dead.

She was dead.

She was DEAD.

She was never going home. She was never getting out. This mansion had killed her. Rocking her body back and forth, Sam cried bitterly knowing her greatest fear had come alive and she was stuck here as a ghost. She would never see her friends again, her parents, any one. No one living would ever hear her voice or see her ever again. No one would ever-

Suddenly Sam's eyes widened and her mouth parted as a strange recent memory came back to her. While she didn't remember exactly when she had died, she had been dead when she had passed through that wall and right before that...Scam had been talking to her. Gasping, Sam remembered that there was even more than that. Scam hadn't just been talking to her and hearing her...he had been holding her, touching her. He had been able to interact with her as if she wasn't dead at all. _"How...how is that possible?" _Sam thought, her brain in a million knots knowing it wasn't logically possible. How could he touch her and hear her when she was DEAD and he was ALIVE?

_"How?"_ Sam thought as she racked her brain for answers but none came. Suddenly the wall before her began glowing at the centre. Terrified, Sam began crawling back to escape whatever it was now, only to stop and freeze in her place at what she witnessed next. In the next second, Tim Scam, still dressed in his polo shirt, dark jeans and coat came right through the wall and stood before her. Her mouth wide open, Sam just stared at him in complete and utter shock. Scam...he...he had just walked through a wall just like she had. He...Sam's throat went dry all over again as she looked at him in disbelief. Scam was dead as well.

Looking at him sadly because now he'd be sharing the same fate as her, Sam spoke in a quiet, broken

whisper. "He..." she said talking about the ghostly apparition that had been haunting her and she knew had caused her death. "He...got you too?" she asked, looking at him sadly while she tried to figure out how he had murdered a man like Tim Scam. What method had he used to execute him? Sam was interrupted in her thoughts when Scam suddenly shook his head "no" in response to her answer. Confused, Sam opened her mouth to ask him what else had killed him then, if there had been another ghost when he spoke in a chilling, firm tone, "No Samantha...I've been dead for the last one hundred years."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sam's jaw dropped. Blinking her eyes slowly, Sam stared at him total disbelief not moving a muscle as her shock had frozen her like a block of ice. Seeing the expression of total disconnect on Sam's face, Scam let out a sigh before he slowly moved closer to her. Looking at her with tired looking eyes he spoke gently. "You don't...You still don't remember anything Samantha?" he asked leaving her to slowly shake her head. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Letting out another sigh he sat on his legs and gently brushed her forehead, making her shiver as he spoke again. "You must be trying to resist remembering me still," he said before sighing again. Ignoring her lost looking face he looked her in the eye and spoke with clear sadness in his tone. "I wish you'd just let me in..." he sighed for a third time. A long, heavy, tormented sigh. "I wish you had just heard me out the last time Samantha." Still as confused as ever, but having heard his last few words, Sam spoke in a light, scared whisper. "Wh-what...last time?" she asked before her eyes narrowed and she managed speaking a little louder. "What are you talking about Scam?'

He didn't say anything to answer her but the look on his face shifted. His eyes that had been looking at her sadly and with concern turned to looking pained. In fact he was looking at her with the most painful eyes, the most longing she had ever seen. Blinking her eyes, Sam looked at him in confusion not understanding why he was looking at her like that. She had never, not once in all the time she had known Tim Scam, seen him upset or looking like he wanted anything at all, never with this much emotion on his face. She didn't even think he was capable of showing emotions. But the way he was looking at her now... it was strange.

Wanting answers, Sam opened her mouth to say his name to get his attention only to have him speak again. "You really don't remember...anything?" he asked. Biting her lip, Sam just stared back at him not sure at all. Why was he saying this to her. WHY? What was he talking about? What was she supposed to remember? He was making no sense. Thinking he was playing with her fear again, and annoyed with his questions, Sam frowned at him. "Scam...this seriously isn't funny," she mumbled. "We're both dead and now you're saying that you've been dead for a century which doesn't make any sense at all and-"

She was silenced when he placed his index finger against her lips and shook his head, speaking urgently. "Sshhh Sam, calm down please," he said. But Sam only threw him a glare before she pushed his finger off her lips and began screaming at him. "Don't tell me to calm down SCAM!" she shouted. "I just died Dammit! I want some answers! What's going on? Am I stuck like this?" she demanded angrily. He sighed heavily before saying her name gently. "Sam-"

Not wanting to hear anything more than her answers Sam cut him off angrily. "Just answer me SCAM!" He sighed again but then suddenly a light smile pulled at his lips. "You know..." he said, looking her in the eye. "There used to be a time when you were too shy to even say my name..."

Her mouth closing itself, Sam froze on her spot again as she looked at him completely dumbstruck. What was that supposed to mean? Why would she have a problem saying his name? She yelled it all the time on missions while chasing him down. Knowing he was making even less sense than before, and wanting answers still, Sam looked at him pointedly. "What...what are you talking about?" she asked, all her confusion clear in her hushed tone. Biting his cheek, Scam sighed before nodding his head and looking her straight in her eyes as if he was finally going to tell her what was going on. But the words he spoke next, just left her even more lost.

"Just listen to me Samara."

Her face twisting itself in further confusion, Sam looked at him oddly. Why was he calling her Samara? Who the hell was SAMARA? She found herself asking him the same question a quick second later. "Who...who's Samara?" she asked wondering if she was someone they both knew and Scam was confusing her for her only to stop dead when he spoke again. "You are," he said firmly. Blinking her eyes slowly, Sam shook her head in denial knowing that was definitely not true. "...No I'm Samantha," she said firmly while wondering what had happened to Scam to make him forget her so easily. Nodding his head he spoke again. "Yes you are," he said, leaving her relieved until he spoke again. "...But your name used to be Samara before."

"...When?" She asked, quietly, knowing her name had been Samantha since birth and he was making no sense whatsoever. Looking at her fixedly for a few moments as if waiting for her reaction, Scam finally answered her. "One hundred years ago."

The room went silent as Sam's jaw fell again. She sat there as still as a statue for a moment before she threw Scam a look that labelled him a madman. What the hell was he talking about? He had lost his mind! That was it! This mansion, it had robbed him of all his sanity! Scared, Sam started to crawl back from him rapidly and looked at him with disgusted eyes, as if he was an alien of some sort. "No!" she screamed as she crawled backwards shakily. Pointing a finger at him she cried loudly. "You're crazy! No...stop it! Stop talking to me!" she wailed as she kept pulling herself back from as fast as she could. A squeal left her when he reached out, grabbed her right foot and dragged her back to him. "No! No! Leave me!" Sam cried, trying to get away but he pulled her into his arms and held her tight in his embrace. "Just listen to me..." he whispered as she continued to struggle.

Pulling her into his lap, he pressed her face closer into his chest before speaking again in a soft whisper. "Please Sam..." he urged pleadingly as he spoke into the top of her head. "Open your mind and you'll remember everything, I promise," he whispered softly. Sam shook her head and tried to protest again but when he started rubbing her back soothingly and pulled her even closer, so close that all she could feel was his strong chest against her face blocking out everything else, she found herself drowning in his scent and sagging against him. Then her eyes closed on their own as her mind began to relax itself.

"Try and remember..."

* * *

><p><strong>-o-O-o- <strong>

The rain slapped harshly onto the cold, cemented ground while dark storm clouds looked down angrily at the city. Horse carriages strum about, moving fast in the rainstorm and people ran left and right, moving down the dirt trails in an effort to get home as fast as possible, out of the rain so they could change their clothes into dry ones and warm their feet by the fire. All except one little boy and the few others of his kind who had no where to go.

Rubbing his arms over and over to try and gain some heat, the little, eight-year-old shivered, his teeth chattering as the rain drenched him completely. He sneezed once, then again as it just kept pouring on the chilly October evening, freezing him to the bone without any mercy.

Raising his hands and picking his dark chocolate coloured bangs away from his eyes, Tymothy, blinked his sea-green eyes and sighed sadly as he glanced up at the sky. It was no use, the rain wasn't going to stop any time soon.

Sighing again, Tymothy wrapped his arms around himself in a desperate attempt to warm up. He had no coat on his body, no sweater, not even a pair of socks or shoes thanks to his poverty or even someone to hug him and make him feel like he wasn't all alone in this world as he was an orphan with no family to speak of whatsoever. No, he was all alone. All alone in the cold with only his shudders, sneezes and discomfort to keep him company.

Feeling his stomach churn, he sighed remembering his other constant companion.

Starvation.

That was his only loyal friend and that was why he was out here on the streets trying to find a scrap to eat before he simply passed out from lack of energy. Last he'd eaten was two days ago and he couldn't go on like this. He needed food. Feeling another sneeze escape him, Tymothy shook his head to shake off some of the water as he complained to himself. "I'm gonna get sick for sure," he sighed as he felt a wave of heat pass through his body reminding him of his high fever. "I don't even know if I'll have enough energy to survive while I'm starving and ill."

Kicking the puddle of rainwater at his feet, he wondered if that would be such a bad thing. Dying. Would it be so bad? At least his sickness and sadness and need to feed himself would be over with. That was worth it wasn't it? Sighing in depression, Tymothy made a move on and continued looking for food or a place to stand under until the rain dried. Moving through the murky streets for a few moments, he frowned when he couldn't find anything, not one thing to eat. It seemed everything that people generally threw out had already picked over by street dogs and other orphan kids. That's what he got for fainting out of exhaustion when he tried to wake up earlier today, the punishment of nothing to eat.

Biting his cheek and sighing tiredly, Tymothy bowed his head as a familiar thought crossed his mind. "Maybe that offer isn't such a bad idea..." he whispered to himself quietly as he thought about the deal he had been offered generously. "He did say I can have whatever I want." Feeling another shiver shaking his form, Tymothy only thought about the offer more seriously as a consideration of something he should really do, _"He said I could have anything my heart desires in return." _

Biting his cheek harder and feeling how weak and tired and sick he was right now, Tymothy felt just about ready to give in because there was so much he needed right now just to survive. "I'd give anything for a little warmth or food right now..." he said to himself, knowing it was true. Even if he had his pride and will, he was still a human being and he felt hunger and pain and tiredness. He was still a little kid and he still wanted to be taken care of. Even at the cost of what he was being asked to give up. Sighing again, he nodded his head. "I'd give anything for a little comfort. Even my-"

The sudden sound of a carriage's wheels coming to a stop interrupted his thoughts. Looking up at the source of the sound, Tymothy blinked, his jaw slightly parting as he saw the carriage before him. It wasn't just any carriage, he had seen just any carriage, this was something else. It was a pure white, gold inlaid, large carriage, larger than any he had ever seen before. At the front were two polished handles and silk curtains hung from the small lookout windows, violet in colour and so soft that they seemed to define luxury in itself. Never having seen so much cleanliness, jewels, nor gold in one place, Tymothy knew this carriage had to belong to someone important. It looked like it was made for royalty. As he was having that thought, the door suddenly opened and his heart quickened in curiosity as he wondered who was going to emerge, expecting a king or queen. But instead, a moment later, a little girl, barely looking even two years old hopped out of the carriage into the rain.

She was dressed in a long, filly dress, heavily detailed with sequins and embroidery, tiny white shoes on her feet to match and with a small parasol held above her head to keep the rain away. Tymothy's eyes went wide and he felt his heart race in a way it never had before when his landed on her face. She had the reddest hair, purest white skin, biggest, emerald eyes and pinkest, pout-shaped mouth he had ever seen.

He stood there speechless as he watched her splash in the rain, slapping her feet into a puddle and let out a giggle of what he could only describe as pure joy. Watching her, Tim couldn't help but notice how she looked like a little porcelain doll. And she was so happy too. In fact, he had never seen anyone so happy in all his life. Keeping his eyes on her, unable to look away, Tymothy suddenly felt a sense of strong peace spread across his heart and mind. And slowly a smile broke out on his lips as any awareness that he was ill and freezing and starving was forgotten just at the sight of this happy, pretty little girl.

"Samara!" he suddenly heard, making him look at the carriage where the voice of an older woman was coming from. "Come inside dear, you're going to get ill," it said before a pair of arms reached out to pick up the little girl. But the tiny girl pulled back from them and shook hear head. "No mommy! I wanna play in the rain!" she protested and Tymothy found himself wondering when was the last time he had loved the rain. For him , rain had always been a problem since he was out on the street and rain made it even harder to get around. Sighing he remembered how rain was just one of his many, countless issues. Life on the streets for a little, innocent kid was not friendly to say the least. His eyes narrowed in thought as he thought about his own bad experiences. Not friendly at all.

"Samara!" the voice said again, making him slightly jump and fall out of his thoughts. "Come inside right now!" Biting his cheek, Tymothy looked at the little girl knowing she had to leave now and feeling a strange sense of grief filling him right then as he felt his loneliness come crawling back. He watched the little one pout at whom he assumed was her mother and sigh before she moved to go back in only to stop when her eyes landed on another little girl, slightly older than her who stood soaking on the street. Tymothy glanced at the other girl and felt his face sadden, as he recognized her as an orphan just like him. He had seen her a few times before as this was the part of the town where all the orphans usually walked around to beg for food and hide from the slave markets. A shudder passed through his skin at the thought of slave markets, he had nearly been taken a few times himself.

Pushing away that thought, he looked back at the pretty, stranger girl and caught himself wondering why she was looking at the other kid. A moment later, his mouth parted and a gasp left him as she watched her go right over to her and hold out her parasol and tell her to take it. Tymothy watched in wonder as the orphan girl protested against taking it as it was clearly a fancy, expensive umbrella but the little girl wouldn't hear it. She simply pushed the parasol into the orphan girl's hands making sure she took it. Then she smiled like the sun, turned, got into her carriage and left.

Standing there frozen in place, Tymothy watched and watched until he could no longer see the carriage and only when it was gone out of sight did he stop looking at it. Blinking his eyes, he thought over what he had just witnessed. That little girl...she was so small, so very small but she had such a huge heart, such an incredibly kind heart. Never in his life had he ever seen anyone care about street kids. No, most people would look at them like filthy dogs, or kick them as they went by or laugh at them. No one ever showed any care but she? She had. She had shown so much care at such a tender age. And her kindness had left him in a state of profound awe. In such a state that he couldn't help but feel hope fill his normally empty heart. "If there were more people in the world like her..." he found himself whispering to his own ears. "Then it wouldn't be such a bad place."

A smile broke out on his lips again, something that rarely ever happened as he remembered how her name was Samara. "Samara..." he said, liking how it sounded coming out of his mouth. It sounded almost as angelic as she looked. And as he had that thought, Tymothy couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever see her again. Narrowing his eyes in thought, his eyes lit up a moment later when he thought he now recognized which household the carriage was from as the emblem of the angel which had been painted on at the back of it came rushing back to him. Now nearly being sure he knew where she lived he felt he might just see her for a moment once in a while. Just when he felt like he needed to smile again.

Feeling his stomach churn again, Tymothy returned to his earlier task of looking for food only this time with a happier spirit. His happiness grew even more when he soon found a discarded baked potato only slightly burned which made it more than good to eat and his earlier decision about accepting that deal he had been made quickly faded away with his hunger. Smiling as he nibbled on the potato, he knew that after seeing that little girl he thought there might be goodness in the world enough for him not to have to go to such extremes to survive.

Feeling hopeful and happy for the first time in a long time, he finished up his salvaged meal and quickly found a roof to hide under. Squeezing into the side of the old shop and sitting down on the slightly wet ground, Tymothy managed to build a fire with the paper the potato had been wrapped in and a set of stones he always carried for emergencies. Holding his hands in front of the fire he took in the heat and smiled again, feeling warm and even a little safe. His thoughts instantly drifted back to the source of these wonderful feelings that he didn't get enough of, to that little kid he had seen today and he couldn't help but smile harder at the thought of the small red-headed angel named Samara.

"Maybe..." he whispered as he crept closer to the fire and felt his heart beat harder than normal again in his chest as he kept thinking about her. "Maybe I will see you again..."

**-o-O-o-**

Sitting with his head bent over his book, a sixteen-year-old Tymothy tried to focus on the words there as he read them over in over, trying to memorize them. Feeling his eyes drooping, he fought to keep them open because he couldn't afford to fall asleep. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned still exhausted from his early day job and long day at school and to make matters worse he had work again in just half an hour, his night job that helped cover most of the costs for his studies and rent for his small room in this lodge. He couldn't afford to skip that either.

Sighing sadly, Tymothy knew tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion were so common to him that it felt like they were real people that lived with him that he encountered everyday. Sighing harder and shaking his head to get rid of his sleepy state, Tymothy found a small smile forming on his lips as he remembered something. Life was tiring all right but there was still one thing that kept him sane and happy in the wake of all his misery.

"Samara…" he whispered, saying the name of the girl who he had made a habit of watching over the years, of catching glimpses of from time to time because it brought him joy. He did it because it made him happy. In fact, whenever he was down (which was more than often), he would go by to where he knew she lived in her glistening white mansion and just catch a fleeting glance of her. And just doing that made him feel happiness at the core of his heart.

Feeling his cheeks warming a little at that, he kind of felt like a moron for doing that, for watching her and feeling this much bliss because he knew, he just KNEW he was in danger of falling in love with the girl when he could never, ever, not in a million years, be with her because she was practically a princess from the very pinnacle of wealth in this city and he was a poorer than poor orphan. Sighing heavily at that depressing reality that he could not deny, he still smiled because he had already promised himself that he could like her from afar. That was enough for him. He knew that one day she would marry someone who was a million times richer than he was and he would never, ever see her again. So here he was, just enjoying the time he had left to watch her without sulking about how unfair life was.

Dismissing thoughts about Samara for now, because he had work soon and needed to finish this portion for the examination he was studying for, Tymothy forced his eyes back onto his text. A moment later he sighed when he imagined Samara's beautiful face right there on his page, smiling up at him and he closed his eyes to shut her out and stop thinking about her like that. Rubbing his temples to refocus his thoughts, Tim sighed tiredly before opening his eyes to attempt tackling his studies again.

"Life is still tiring for you isn't it? Why don't you just take up my offer Tymothy? It's still open," a male, distant-sounding voice said from nearby, catching his attention. Sighing, knowing he had company now and was not likely to be able to read while HE was here, Tymothy looked over to the speaker and spoke firmly. "Thanks but no thanks," he said, giving his companion a pointed look. "I already told you I'm not afraid of hard work." A chuckle escaped the male as he glanced at the pile of textbooks on Tymothy's small, beat-up, wooden desk. "So I can see…" he drawled before looking at him with a small smirk. "But...wouldn't you rather enjoy your life?" Sighing because this conversation always came to this point, Tymothy shook his head. "I would but...on my own merits," he said before frowning. "Besides, I don't agree with your terms."

"Fair enough," the voice said, waving a careless hand in his direction before the speaker looked at him seriously. "Though if you should ever need me boy...you know where to find me." Tymothy watched silently as his visitor's form began to fade away but not before a few more words escaped his mouth. "I will always need someone like you, so my offer will remain open." A moment later, a trickle of wind ran through the room before everything was calm and Tymothy was left alone again. Relieved, he opened his book again and read the words for about twenty more minutes before he had to stop to get ready for his night job. Putting away his books, Tymothy stood up and stretched before dragging his feet towards the doorway to head out.

Stopping at the door he sighed because he could feel how tired he was. He could barely get his feet to walk and his eyes to remain open long enough to see anything in front of him. He knew he wanted nothing more than to not go, to just turn right back and lay down in his bed and just sleep until he felt better and then study after that but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to go to work. His jobs had been hard to find as is, not many people were willing to employ an orphan boy who had no credentials or contacts to back him up and he knew if he lost these jobs then he'd have to quit school eventually. And he couldn't let that happen.

No, the only way for him to make his life even a tiny bit better was to finish studying and get a stable job so he could survive. This was how it had to be and he had no choice to change the course of his life whatsoever. Pausing at that thought, Tymothy remembered the words his visitor had just spoken not too long ago, about enjoying life and how he could make that possible if he just gave in and soon he found the temptation to just agree hit him hard all over again. All he had to do was say the word and he could be happy. All this hard work, all this gruelling labour and misery…it could all go away in a puff of smoke never to return. He could have whatever he wanted if he just-

Shaking his head furiously, Tymothy glared at himself and forced that thought out of his mind. How had he even be thinking about it? AGAIN? After he had firmly decided he'd never go to that limit? "No, I don't need it," he said determinedly. "I don't need his help for anything," he told himself. But deep inside he could still feel how lured he was to ask for that same help he had always been rejecting. To just give in. Deciding he needed something to remind him that all hope was not lost and he did have some happiness in his life, Tymothy found himself leaving his home and not going to work just yet.

In fact he found himself going over to where Samara's mansion stood. Stopping at the side gates some forty-five minutes later, Tymothy stopped just for a moment and carefully peeked in from in between the rose hedges, through that area that the Simpson family's gardener never managed in growing roses in for the last eight years and looked inside the mansion's side window.

A quick glance inside told him that Samara's family was hosting a ball like they often did as there were literally thousands of people there, dressed in high-class finery, crowding up the place while music poured out into the street. Feeling disheartened because there were so many people and seeing the girl who he was sure was the centre of attention would be impossible, Tymothy was about to walk away when he stopped, his eyes widening when he happened to catch a glimpse of her from his spot.

His heart thundered in his chest and his fists curled at his sides as he glanced upon her as she stood there smiling at someone in the mass of people. She was dressed in a flowing, bustle-style golden gown, her long crimson hair flowing down to her waist, a pearl necklace resting against her porcelain-coloured skin, and matching earrings dangling from her ears that were swaying slightly as she fanned herself with an ornate, lace, pearl-studded, golden fan from time to time. Watching her, Tymothy felt a smile erupting on his lips. Somehow, Samara continually managed to look more and more beautiful, more and more ethereal with each passing day.

Tymothy stiffened a second later as he heard the thought that had just crossed his mind and he frowned, quickly reminding herself that she was off limits to him. Feeling a sigh escape him when he told himself that, a sad, heartbroken sigh, he quickly turned and forced himself to walk away towards his workplace. But as he walked away, he couldn't help but have one final thought. He couldn't help but hope that whoever it was, the fortunate man who did end up with Samara, that he would love her…

As much as he felt he did.

**-o-O-o-**

Pulling on his coat and shoes, a young-adult Tymothy Scam got ready to head outside into the cold, early October streets to head to his job as one of the small-time lawyers working for the town's chief barrister. Leaning against the doorframe, Tymothy looked back into his bedroom and felt a small smile forming on his lips. He had just freshly been able to use up all his savings to by himself a home. It was a small home, nothing anyone would take a second glance at or compliment him for but at least it was his and he had earned it through years of hard work and perseverance. His new job as a lawyer was also better than the two mind-numbing jobs he had been doing for years as a coal worker down in the mines and ship builder by night.

Feeling a yawn escape him, Tymothy rubbed his eyes and sighed knowing regardless of how much better his life was now it was still tenuous and difficult to live. He still could not afford to take even a day off work nor do anything for anything but to earn money and keep his life going. There was no relaxation, friendship, or time off for him. Not even for a day of his life. His smile coming back to his lips, Tymothy told himself the same thing he always did to keep himself slightly happy and grateful for how things had turned out. _"It could have been worse. A lot of street kids don't even survive."_

But while he had that thought another part of his mind was telling him another thing_. "But you could have had more than this." _Shaking his head, he forced that thought to the back of his mind where he wouldn't hear it again. He didn't need more, anything more than what he had now. He had a roof over his head , he had been able to study to the highest level a man could, so he was well-educated and he now had a job that was only from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and not all day. And even more than that…he still had his biggest source of happiness and joy in his otherwise bleak existence.

"_Samara…" _he thought, his eyes lighting up instantly as his heart beat harder just as it always did when she crossed his mind. And he knew he was happy with just this much, with having a roof over his head, a good job compared to earlier on, having been educated and with Samara to watch over. Suddenly he felt the urge to go see her again but he knew he'd have to wait until work was over. Sighing, he headed out and left for work with the thought of seeing Samara later today the only thing that kept him from having his earlier unhappy thought about wanting more than he had in his miserabl-perfect life.

Hours later, looking up at the faintly darkened sky, Tymothy smiled as he neared Samara's mansion. It had taken him longer to get here than it once used to because he now lived in a different neighbourhood quite far from hers. But no matter how far, his feet always knew how to end up back here, time and time again. Smiling harder now that he had reached, he carefully walked around to the inner wall in the rose garden, knowing this was where he'd have to stand to see her as it was evening and she would be in her room reading right now, provided she didn't have a ball which he didn't hear she did tonight as it had not been announced. Reaching his destination, Tymothy placed his hand against the brick wall and looked up, his eyes going wide and a smile breaking out on his face the moment his eyes landed on her form.

There she was, laying on her bed near the large arched window and reading a book just as he had known she would be. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration and her red hair was held in a long braid that twisted down to her waist. She was dressed in a comfortable white dress with a matching large, white lily tucked near her ear while one hand held up her angelic face and her elbow rested on the mattress as her feet kicked in the air from time to time when she flipped pages in her novel. Smiling harder and feeling joy erupt from the pit of his heart, Tymothy silently noticed that she was prettier now more than ever. The little cute girl he had once seen was no where to be seen anymore, and in her place was a beautiful, young woman. A beautiful young woman that he would like nothing more than to stare at all day long without ever even bothering to blink his eyes.

Tymothy's moment of total peace was ruined when he heard footsteps approach him and he carefully moved closer to the wall and hid behind it while two female servants of the Simpson household walked right past him without ever realizing he was even there. Catching a glimpse of them, Tymothy named them in his head.

"_Rosie and Annie," _he thought, recognizing the stout, plump brunette and tall, thin blonde he had seen rushing around Samara's house for longer than a decade, keeping things in order and keeping the place nice and tidy for visitors. Unable to help hearing their conversation he heard them complaining about how much work they had to do each day and he rolled his eyes at that conversation, He was willing to bet that whatever work they had was easier than his nine to five job. _"And besides…."_ he thought, smiling again. _"They are working for a kind, beautiful person like Samara." _He knew that just had to make the work a hundred times less painful despite their unwillingness to admit that.

"And it's only going to be harder from now on," he heard Rosie say and he listened on out of curiosity. "I know," Annie said tiredly as she held her basket laden with sheets closer to her chest to make sure it wouldn't fall. "Ever since lady Samara has grown up the work has tripled!" A heavy, dramatic sigh escaped her. "It's always a visitor here then another there! Just yesterday we had ten visitors!" Blinking his eyes, Tymothy kept listening, now paying more attention to the words being said as they were about Samara. "Well it's bound to happen," Rosie said, pushing a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear. "Lady Samara is very pretty."

Tymothy smiled, nodding his head in agreement at that statement as he kept listening to them. "That she is," Annie admitted, before smiling in glee. "I suspect it'll be over soon though." Her eyes widening, Rosie whispered, "Her being beautiful?" Tymothy couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. As if Samara would ever stop being beautiful. Even when she would eighty-five he knew her radiant soul would keep a glow on her face bright enough that it would rival the sun just as it had since her childhood.

When the ladies spoke again, he went back to listening. "No," Annie said, giggling lightly before waving a hand towards their hemp baskets. "Our hard workload, silly." A smile soon formed on her face. "I hear Lord Shawn is close to picking…." she brought her voice down to a quiet whisper and Tymothy had to strain his hearing to listen. "The one," she said leaving him confused as to what she was talking about. What was Samara's father close to picking? Rosie let out a loud gasp. "You don't say!" she said excitedly. "You mean he finally likes one of the young men who visited?" Tymothy felt his heart nearly stop in his chest. It couldn't be…could it? His question was answered a moment later by Annie's clear words, "I suspect he does. And it was only a matter of time when she gets so many suitors."

His eyes widened and his skin went cold. _"Suitors…" _he thought, his body going rigid as he easily pieced together what this meant. Lord Shawn had picked one of the young men, one of the suitors, he was close to finding the ONE. Samara….she was…she was getting married. His angel was getting married and leaving him for ever. Pain shot out of his heart and spread to every pore of his skin filling every inch of him with torment and anguish. Feeling his eyes slightly moisten. Tymothy took a deep breath, closed his eyes and opened them again. Slowly a bitter smile formed on his lips.

This was no surprise. Samara's wedding announcement was no revelation. He had known this was going to happen one day, then why was he so upset? He had no reason to be upset. No, he had come to terms with the fact that she would get married to someone, someone that was not HIM when he was a teenager. He had said he was okay with that. He had accepted that. Why then, did he feel like there was a knife stabbed in his heart that was twisting round and round with each passing second as the thought of Samara's wedding became more and more engraved in his mind? Why did it hurt so much?

Feeling his body began to shake from the tumult of agony that he couldn't ignore, Tymothy found that he couldn't even look at Samara now. No, if he did look at her now he had a feeling that knife in his heart would just spin harder than it already was and he might just die on the spot. Not being able to take anymore, Tymothy turned from her mansion and walked away in slow, silent steps. And very slowly, a drop of water hit the ground at his feet, mixing into the dirt where he left his footsteps.

But there was no rain.

**-o-O-o-**

"_Why?" _Tymothy asked himself as he lay awake in his bed at night, at the 4th hour of morning unable to sleep just as he hadn't been able to for any night ever since last week when he had heard the news of Samara's soon to happen wedding. Why? Why did he have to have a dream that he knew would break in reality? Why? Why had he been such a fool? Why had he fallen in love with her? Why had he wanted something that he knew could never, ever be? Why did he STILL want it now? Turning to his side and breathing deeply, Tymothy tried to bring his heartbeat down to normal but couldn't. How could he, when he felt his heart literally ripping itself apart in his very chest?

Taking another shaky breath he tried to put her out of his mind. He tried again to tell himself that he had accepted this, that he had ACCEPTED that she would one day belong to a man and he would never ever see her again but to no avail because now that acceptance was no where to be found. He felt no peace. He could no longer pacify himself that his life was okay and wasn't too bad because he was losing Samara. He was losing her…and he was falling apart. He could feel it right now as he lay here as still as stone. He was bleeding, burning, he was dying on the inside and with every tick of his clock he was getting closer to becoming a lifeless body.

Turning to his front, Tymothy squeezed his eyes shut and tried to fight it. He tried to remove the images of her that were always there, always hiding just beneath his eyelids and dancing in his memory. But even as he did that, he could see her in his head. Her bright green eyes, her shining smile, her beautiful, ethereal face. And she wouldn't leave him alone. How could she, when she was all he knew?

His fists bunching at his sides, Tymothy knew he was all about her. Everything that he was, was linked with her. Every memory of his had her name attached to it, every emotion he felt, every breath he took, every silent prayer he whispered-it was all filled with HER. Try as he might he could not escape Samara. He couldn't stop thinking about her for even one second. No, she was a part of him and the amount of pain, the feeling of living, breathing hell he was experiencing right now proved that he was unable to let her go. She would always be there, in his mind, in his heart, now and forever. Even though…

Sighing heavily he remembered the announcement that had been made today in the town square. Samara was getting married in exactly two weeks from this day. In just fourteen days, she would be gone from his world and he would be left with just her memories to tear into him like hot, iron needles, like angry talons, like-

"_I have to stop," _he said to himself knowing he was driving himself absolutely insane. If he kept this up his brain would burst into a thousand pieces. But a quick second later he felt his hurt rising again, overtaking his mind like an angry sea of pain. And then his thoughts were back on Samara all over again. A depressed, tormented sigh left his lips as tossed and turned again in his bed and he found himself wondering about her husband to be. Lord David, he had heard his name was. Would this David treat Samara right? Would he treat her like the angel that she had been since birth? Like he gift to mankind that she was?

His eyes narrowing into slits of pain Tymothy wondered, did her betrothed know she liked to read by sunlight? Did he know that she liked to play in the rain till this very day? That she liked to leave her hair open as often as she could? That her favourite colour was green just like her eyes? That she had a beautiful singing voice? That her heart was so big it could encompass this entire world's misery and make it go away? That when she smiled, it felt like there was no sadness anywhere in this entire existence? Did he know all that? Did he know her as well as he did? As much as he knew after loving her since the day he had laid eyes on her for the very first time? That time when he didn't even know what love was?

Bunching up his fist, Tymothy again told himself to stop thinking about her. "You have to stop," he whispered. "This is wrong." It was wrong. Samara was no longer a single woman whom he was free to dream about. No, she was engaged. She was set to become one with another man. She wasn't his to even think about anymore. Why? Why didn't he understand that? Why didn't want to? Hissing in pain when his brain remained locked onto her, he still could not get her off his mind. She had such a hold on him. Such a deep, unbreakable hold that he just couldn't break. A small, bitter chuckle escaped him when he suddenly realized that here he was thinking about her like she was his life source when she didn't even KNOW HIM. Yes, he had loved her for years but she…she didn't even KNOW he EXISTED. "But how could she know?" he told himself sourly. "She's all the way up at the top of society and I'm…." a heavy sigh, laden with sorrow escaped him. "I'm...lower than low."

He didn't blame her for not knowing he was alive. After all, he wasn't even at a level where she could even see him. _"And she never will," _he told himself, ignoring the eruption of raw torment that he felt in his heart just then. He had to accept it. He had to accept it NOW. She would never, ever see him. NEVER. He didn't exist for her and he never would. "Why think about her then?" he whispered knowing it was pointless. All it did was make him want to be something he was not. Made him want to be some Lord David of Frescor. So he decided to do it. He pushed himself to do it. To stop thinking about her no matter how much it stung because thinking about her cut him even more. Closing his eyes and drawing up his blankets Tymothy made himself fall asleep.

And he forced himself to stop thinking he was dreaming about her even though, as the image of the red-headed, beautiful, lively girl in his mind that came to life as soon as he drifted into sleep proved, he was dreaming of her anyway.

**-o-O-o-**

Despite having told himself that she was another man's and he couldn't think about her, despite locking his door with as many locks as he could find, despite all the restrictions he had laid on himself, five days before her wedding he felt it again-

A blazing, uncontrollable urge to see Samara again. And he had tried to fight it, God knew he had tried to fight it with every fibre of his being and every ounce of his will. But at the last moment the hold she had on him had just been to strong and it was what had led him out here, in the darkness of the early night, in the cold rain, nearing in on Samara's mansion just to see if he could see her again, even if just for one, brief moment. The rain that was pouring soaked him to his bone as he didn't stop to duck under and roofs and hide from the downpour. No, he didn't have time for that. He had to see her now, right NOW.

Reaching the rose garden a few moments later, Tymothy slipped into the interior archway and looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of her in room so he could see her and just slip away again. But the way he found her left him absolutely speechless and with his heart booming in his chest as if it would jump out at any second. She was right there, with her balcony window thrown open as she stood there watching the rain fall. A moment later he watched her lean her hand out and let the raindrops fall on her palm. Then a smile, a smile of pure, untainted joy touched her lips as she captured a raindrop in her fist.

And standing there, Tymothy felt his brain go into the past. It hit him like a jolt of lightening, the similarity of this moment and he was instantly reminded of her as a little two-year old smiling and playing in the rain. His heart beat a thousand times faster in his chest as he remembered further what that moment was. The first time he saw her. The first time he had felt happiness in his lonely, empty life.

And right then, all his years, nearly an entire lifetime of loving her secretly came rushing back. His entire form began to shake as the memories overpowered him, every moment of longing, wanting, wishing crashing into him like a giant wave, splitting his mind like an earthquake when he remembered she was marrying another man. Never in his life had he felt this much pain. Never. Not even when he was starving, being kicked around, being ill, being subjected to hours of backbreaking labour-

Nothing, nothing in the world compared to the hurt he was feeling at this moment as he watched her, his only dream in life about to be ripped away from him. He felt broken from the inside out, as if someone had crept inside him and broken down everything that made him feel alive, made him feel like himself. As if his very essence had been stolen from him and he would not survive. He felt as if he was going to burst, as if he was going to explode into a million, tiny, irreparable parts. Samara, his Samara, the only light in his life was leaving him soon. She was marrying another soon and…

He couldn't take it anymore.

No, he could not stand by and let her leave him, He would never recover from this. He could never recover from losing her and he knew if he did, he would cease to exist. He couldn't, he just couldn't lose her as well. It was too much. His eyes filling with determination he remembered the deal he had been made years ago, the same deal offered to him a hundred times in his life. The deal that he had been told would always be open and he knew was open to this day, that would let him have whatever he wanted if he just gave in.

He knew he had never taken it before. No, he had been too strong to take it before. But he knew that strength not to give in was only when he had Samara in his life. When he had her to think about and had a reason to smile even if just for a few moments. But now his strength was no more. Now he was losing her and…

He really couldn't bear it.

There was no stopping himself now, he realized and quickly went off to find the one, the only one who could help him now. As he ran in the rain he knew he was ready to pay the price now. He had nothing to fear. His sacrifice in exchange for her, his very life.

It would always be worth it.

**-o-O-o-**

Finally reaching his destination an hour later, Tymothy crept into the small, bleak alley where he had first been offered HIS deal. He had been barely five years old then and he had rejected the deal, and had continually rejected it over the years, the same deal he was about to accept today. With no room for hesitation, he moved fast and reached the very end of the alley to where he came face to face with the dead end he had been looking for. Raising his hand, he placed it on the cold, wet brick wall and took a deep breath in as he quickly thought this over one more time.

Once he did this, once he said yes…there was no turning back. He would never be the same again. Never, ever again. Nodding to himself, and wasting no more time he pressed his hand deeper into the third row of bricks and concentrated. And soon he felt the surface of the wall pulsing under his hand as if it was coming to life. Knowing it was time, he called out to the whom he knew would be listening.

"It is I, Tymothy Scam. I need to meet you right now." The moment those words left his mouth a seam-like line scratched across the wall's surface and Tymothy stepped back just in time for it to split open and for a red-skinned entity to emerge in a fury of black smoke and blinding light. Closing his eyes for the light to fade, Tymothy opened them again when the being spoke to him in a shocked sounding whisper. "Words can't explain how surprised I am to see you Tymothy."

Opening his eyes fully and looking at the speaker of the voice, Tymothy nodded his head at the fork-tongued, red-skinned, coal-eyed, blivet-holding entity that was looking at him in complete surprise. Yes, most people would turn and run but he was by now, more than used to staring the **Devil **in the face. "I've changed my mind," he said, getting straight to the point. Floating in midair and twirling his fork in his fingers, the Devil looked at him innocently, the irony of which did not go unnoticed by Tymothy. "About?" he asked calmly as he eyed the young man with a small smirk splitting onto his lips.

Frowning, Tymothy threw the king of demons a pointed glance. "You know what this is about," he muttered. Twirling his blivet over in his long fingers and scratching it with his long, talon-like nails, the Devil took his time to respond. This boy had made him wait exactly twenty-five years for the possibility of this day to come. He wanted to enjoy this moment in case it was the one. Watching Tymothy's frown grow deeper at his lack of response he finally spoke. "Oh, do I?" he said, smirking harder. Not caring for the demon's antics, Scam nodded his head. "Yes, I'm here about your deal. I'm…" he took a deep breath in, imagining the shock that would rip the smirk off the Devil's face as soon as he said this before he finally said the words he had to. "…I'm ready to accept it."

The alley went dead silent after his admission, becoming so quiet that Tymothy could only hear his own breaths and nothing more even though he was not alone. And when he looked at the Devil he saw that his jaw had dropped and he was sure he knew what he was thinking. He was probably thinking that this was the man that had fought off him and his tempting offer for nearly all his life and now, when things were supposedly better, he was oddly giving in. "Are you sure about this?" the Devil said, sounding so shocked that Tymothy received his confirmation over the thoughts that had passed through his mind just a moment before purely from the hushed sound of his voice.

Looking at Tymothy with serious, firm eyes, he spoke again. "This is no small bargain boy…" he said warningly. "Once you go through with it…" his voice became even more laden with forewarning as he emphasized this key point. "Once you do it…You can't go-"

"Back, I know," Tymothy said, cutting him off anxiously. Ignoring the shocked look he was given because he had already made up his mind about this and would never be second thinking anything to do with Samara, Tymothy stepped forward and spoke again in a clear, determined tone. "I'm ready." Raising a crooked eyebrow the Devil nodded his head slowly as if thinking over something deeply. "I'd like to know what this is for," he said a moment later, curiosity clear in every note of his tone. Looking at Tymothy with questioning eyes, the Devil continued. "What do you want in return?" he asked before tapping his forehead and looking perplexed. "I cannot figure it out on my own, seeing that compared to before…. your life is a lot better than it used to be and you didn't give in to me back then-"

"I have my reason," Tymothy said firmly. Nodding his head at all the determination he was hearing, the Devil nodded. 'Yes, so I see but….what is it?" he asked demandingly. Tymothy bit his cheek and slowly nodded his head deciding to tell him. Of course he would want to know why he was suddenly after all this time, giving up. He would want to know what was worth so great a price. Looking the Devil in the eyes, he gave him the answer he was waiting for restlessly. "A girl."

The Devil's eyes might as well have pop out of their sockets with the look he gave him. "...A girl?" he said sounding dumfounded. Fixing Tymothy with a look filled with disbelief, he spoke in a shock-ridden tone. "YOU," he said, pointing a long finger at him accusingly. "The most hardworking, strongest-willed human being I have ever seen come into creation are willing to give in just for...a girl?" he asked, baffled. Tymothy shook his head in disagreement. "She's not just a girl to me," he said rendering the demon speechless. Letting out a heavy sigh he decided to explain why he was making this decision. "I've loved her for years and I was stupid enough to think I could watch her belong to another…. but...I can't," he admitted, all his pain and hurting raw in his torn-sounding whisper.

Blinking his eyes heavily the Devil still looked at him in alarm. "….But I thought you'd never give in," he said knowing he had actually thought he had found in Tymothy, the first human whose will he could not bend and whose mind he could not tempt. Crossing his arms over his chest and sighing tiredly, Tymothy answered him in a soft-sounding, defeated whisper. "So did I but even I have limits." Nodding his head in understanding for a moment, the Devil stopped, slightly chewing on his lower lip as he spoke again. "Is this girl worth it though Tymothy?" he asked pointedly. "Is she really worth the price you're about to pay?"

Tymothy nodded his head immediately in response knowing Samara was worth even more than what he was about to give up in his eyes. Shrugging, the Devil give him a small sigh. "Alright, I hope it all works out for you," he said but Scam rolled his eyes knowing the Devil cared for no one. "Don't lie, you could care less," he said, seeing right through him and the Devil laughed at how bright this boy had turned out to be. It told him this was a bargain he was going to be really satisfied with. Looking at Tymothy with a small smirk, the Devil spoke with honestly in his tone. "Normally I don't, but I'm fond of you son. I do hope it works for you." A silent moment passed between them before the Devil spoke again. "So…." he said, rolling back his hunched shoulders. "You'll give me what I want and in return you want this woman's heart. Alright, tell me her name," he said, raising his blivet to activate his powers and force the woman in question to fall head over heels in love with Tymothy but stopped when he saw him shake his head. "What's wrong?" the Devil asked.

"I'll give you what you want…." Tymothy said. "But not for her heart." Now confused beyond anything, the Devil looked at Scam inquisitively because he had seriously thought the exchange for her heart had made perfect sense. "...Then what do you want then?" he asked. Biting his cheek, Tymothy spoke firmly. "I just want the chance to be at her level and nothing more," he said, confusing the demon even more as he gave him a further disconnected look. Sighing, Tymothy elaborated. "So she can actually know I…. exist."

The Devil's eyes widened in shock yet again. This man was just full of surprises. "Let me get this straight boy," he said, raising a hand as if to tell Tymothy to slow down so he could understand. "You want to just...be at her level?" he asked confusedly. Scooting a little closer to Tymothy, he looked at him confoundedly. "Wouldn't it be easier to just make her love you?" he said, knowing that took all the guesswork out of it. It would be so much easier for him to just ask for her heart because then she would be compelled to love him no matter what and there was no way he could be rejected at all. Didn't this boy get that obvious benefit?

Shaking his head at the demon's suggestion, Scam spoke in a determined whisper. "I don't want to force her. That's not what this is about." Noticing the Devil staring at him as if he was a madman again, Tymothy frowned deeply as he spoke again. "She's never even seen me and I think that's all that's standing in our way…. my status." He sighed heavily. "If I was somewhere higher up I know she'd see me and…." he couldn't help the small smile that upturned the corner of his lip at his next thought. "It's very possible she'd love me." Looking at Scam quizzically, the Devil thought for a moment before pointing towards Tymothy with his fork. "Ah!" he said, as if catching onto something he had missed. "But you can't know that for sure, that she'd love you," he said smirking. But Scam only shook his head. "Yea but…I don't want to. I just…" He sighed again, speaking firmly. "I just want a chance to be with her. I…I never asked for a guarantee."

Blinking a few times, the Devil remained deep in shock. "...You'd risk something so costly just for the chance that she MIGHT love you?" he asked, stumped. "Yes," Tymothy said firmly leaving the demon to look at him in absolute awe. He kept staring at him for a good few moments before he whispered, "You puzzle me Tymothy." Letting out a small chuckle despite the situation, Scam looked at the Devil pointedly. "I suppose that's an achievement for a human?"

The Devil nodded his head before falling in thought. While this boy's decision puzzled him beyond anything, part of him honestly didn't care. He was fond of Tymothy and that was why he had left his offer open to him and had waited all this time. Because there wasn't necessarily a lack of strong men out there in the world but very few if any, had Tymothy Scam's iron will, conviction and work ethic. He had personally watched him toil away and work hard to earn what he had now and that made him certain he could count on Tymothy to show the same diligence for this deal and for what lay ahead of him. He knew once Tymothy accepted he would not let him down. No, Tymothy was a man of his word just as he was and for that reason amongst many others he would give Tymothy what he wanted. "Fine then," the Devil said, nodding his head. "I will give you the status you need, and a house that will be worthy of a prince as well as everything else that a king deserves in exchange for-"

"Something you've wanted for so long... " Tymothy said, completing his sentence. "My soul." Watching the Devil nod, Tymothy knew what he was getting into from his memory of earlier discussions of this deal as the demon raised his blivet and chanted something while his eyes glowed an unearthly red. By giving up his soul he was agreeing to belong to the devil. That meant that he had to do his unholy work for him. His job would be to act as the Devil's hitman, his personal Grim reaper and he would have to bring back souls that had managed to escape from hell back to their underground cells. He would have to deal with the worst of souls, those that even the Devil himself hated. Tymothy knew he would be the top reaper and that also meant one other thing.

Another heavy price.

It meant that when he died, whenever he died…he would go to hell no matter what. And there was no getting out of that part of the bargain because Tymothy knew the Devil wanted him as his right hand and would never let him go. This deal was final, a lasting, binding agreement that he could never break. His soul, and life as a good man in exchange for a chance at winning his love. That was the deal he had wilfully made and would be bound to for all eternity. It was a heavy price to pay, Tymothy knew. But at the same time he also knew that for Samara…he would give anything and everything that was his. He would make any sacrifice…

Just for her to love him back.

"It's done," the Devil said giving him a large smirk that displayed his crooked teeth. "You now have a mansion to rival any King waiting for you to live in, and riches beyond anyone's wildest dreams." The Devil crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Tymothy expectantly. "Now that I have held up my end of the bargain…when do you start working for me boy?"

"As soon as tonight," Tymothy said answering the demon before a tiny hint of a smile formed at the corner of his lip and thoughts of someone he was now free to think of filled up his mind. "I just need to be somewhere else first…."

**-o-O-o-**

Sitting in his newly acquired black coach, Tymothy raised a hand and drew back the black curtains to see if they were there yet. A smile touched his lips when he saw that Samara's mansion's gate was fast approaching and he knew it was almost time. Straightening out his expensive black suit he prepared himself to meet her face to face for the very first time just as he had always longed for.

Running a hand through his hair and making sure his bangs weren't falling into his eyes, Tymothy took a deep breath in before letting it out again as he relaxed himself and told himself he could do this. There was still five days left till Samara's wedding and that was enough time for her to fall in love with him if it was meant to happen. After all, he had fallen for her at first glance. Smiling to himself, he nodded his head reassuring himself that this would work out for him. There was a ball at Samara's home tonight at midnight just as there had been for the last while, on each night to celebrate her soon to happen marriage. He just…he just had to get in there and let her see him. He had a feeling, he just had a deep, instinctive feeling that if she just knew he existed then she would like him, maybe even love him as deeply as he loved her.

"_I just have to make her know that I'm alive," _he thought before he found his smile widening. His new position on the social pyramid would make that happen because for the first time in his life he had the right to walk into Samara's mansion without having to hide and without fear of being humiliated. He just hoped it all went as well as he was wishing for. Feeling the coach come to a stop, Tymothy prayed silently before opening the curtain so that the doorman could see him and let him enter.

"And who would you be?" the doorman, the one he recognized as Eric, asked as soon as he saw him. "Tymothy Scam," he said calmly making sure not to get nervous and mess this up. The doorman stared at Tymothy for a few good moments before he spoke again. "I don't recall seeing you around before," Eric said, knowing he always remembered faces and he'd never seen this one at any of the balls before. Not panicking, and thinking on his feet, Tymothy smiled before answering him in a relaxed, even tone. "I'm not from around here, I am the Lord of a different area." He smiled harder. "I hear Lady Samara is marrying soon so I thought I'd stop by and congratulate her mother and father."

His doubts fading, Eric took a quick glance at the coach and the young man inside it before they vanished entirely. This man looked like a Lord in every way and there was no reason to be suspicious of him. "Right this way, Lord Tymothy," he said, directing his hand towards where the other coaches were parked and smiling widely. Smiling back at him Tymothy let the curtain fall again and soon his coach had stopped near all the others. Stepping out, couldn't help but notice how his coach stuck out of the rest of the lot, being so much larger and gold-studded. Biting his cheek and feeling a little nervous, he prayed he wouldn't stick out as much as his coach did once he went inside.

Pulling himself together, he put on a confident smile before entering through the large, main doors of the mansion and stepping inside. Once he entered, Timothy's eyes widened a little at how different it was in this place compared to out on the streets. It was like stepping into a whole different world that existed apart from his own as it was filed with hundreds of lavishly dressed guests, gourmet food stacked onto the tables that rolled out for miles and an atmosphere of overwhelming wealth and superiority. It almost made him feel a little daunted. Reminding himself that he was now of this world, he nodded to himself before moving deeper into the mansion and mingling amongst the crowd.

As he became visible to others he could hear feminine gasps and eyes boring into him. And as he moved along in silence many of these woman asked him to share a dance with them but he politely declined, not even looking at them because he was not here for this. He was here, only for his Samara Simpson. His eyes searched for her amongst the crowd and grew saddened when he could not spot her. But a moment later his eyes went wide and his heart thundered in his chest when he finally saw her coming down the stairs in an elegant, lilac-coloured, glittery gown, her hair lose with jewels tucked into it while a pretty blush adorned her face. His eyes remained on her as she descended down the steps one by one and stopped next to her parents, and stayed on her while her father made his announcement and the crowd went silent to listen.

Smiling into the crowd, Shawn spoke with happiness in his tone. "My good friends, acquaintances, lords and ladies from all around…" His smile widened as he put an arm around his daughter. "I present to you my daughter." The room broke out into the applause and Tymothy smiled as he watched her cheeks redden even more in reaction.

Raising his hands, Shawn sought the attention of the crowd and quickly gained it again. Smiling widely he spoke in a voice loaded with excitement and zeal. "My daughter Samara is marrying in exactly five days from today to the wonderful Lord David of Frescor," he smiled at the young, brown-haired, pale-green eyed, slim man at his other side before continuing. "I'd like to take this moment to ask you all to attend the wedding. I hope to see you all there." After making that announcement Lord Shawn stepped aside to let his guests enjoy the ball for the rest of the night.

His eyes still on Samara, Tymothy watched her move to the dance floor with her fiancée, Ignoring the twinge of jealousy that ran though his entire form at that along with the women who were hoarding him and asking him to dance, he just stared at his Samara wordlessly, never once even stopping to blink his eyes. He wanted to savour this moment and lock it into his memory. She was just so beautiful. The way her blush made her cheeks glow, the way her eyelashes remained lowered in shyness, the way she smiled from time to time. No one could be more perfect than she was and he wondered if she even knew that truthful fact.

Waltzing with her betrothed, Samara suddenly bit her lip as she moved to the gentle music. For some reason…she felt like she was being watched. In fact she had, had the feeling ever since she had come down the stairs and joined the party- and it had not left her for one second since. Slowly drifting her eyes up, she could take no more and curiously she looked around for who it was that was looking at her so intensely that she could feel her skin burning like fire. Looking over Lord David's shoulder, her eyes scanned the crowd left then right. She chewed on her lower lip harder as she kept searching knowing whoever it was, they were here somewhere nearby.

Suddenly her body went slack and she froze in place when her eyes landed on a man dressed in a dark black suit standing off to the side looking straight at her. Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly parted in awe while her heart began to beat harder in her chest in a way it had never beat before. He was the one who had been looking at her? She had never…never in her life seen such a handsome man.

Her jaw still open, her eyes slowly took him in. Her eyes moved from his dark brown, velvety hair, to his coppery coloured skin, to his tall, overarching frame that made him stand a foot above even the tallest who was here, to the broadness of his form, the wideness of his chest, the shape of his full-lips before finally locking onto his eyes. And when she saw his eyes, she found herself gulping softly as her eyes nearly glazed over. He had the most piercing, hypnotic, beautiful eyes that she had ever seen. No, she hadn't known such eyes, such sea-foam eyes even… existed and so she found herself drowning in their depths, into the depths of eyes that made it look as if he could glance into anyone's soul with just one, fleeting look. And she was no exception.

Any awareness of her body gone, Samara let David lead her during the waltz as she kept staring at that man that she just could not look away from. She almost wanted to blink to make sure he wasn't just some illusion that she was imagining because he was so perfect. So perfect she found that…she almost never wanted to have to stop looking at him. Not even for one moment.

"Samara?" Her betrothed said, making her jump slightly in his hold as she remembered she was supposed to be paying attention to him. Yet she did not look away from the handsome stranger and simply answered him with a nod of her head. She heard him talk then, about how wonderful this ball was, how nice the music was that was being played amongst other things. But she heard all his words with the tiniest shred of her attention, as she just kept nodding to him and staring at the man in black.

She just couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him. Even when he looked away, she found herself staring at him unblinkingly regardless as questions poured into her mind. Who was this man? What was his name? How could anyone be so wonderfully complete in every way? Those questions kept bothering her even after her betrothed spun her around during the dance in a way that she could not see him anymore. Biting her lip, Samara was tempted to look over her shoulder, back to the anonymous visitor again. But when Lord David engaged her in a conversation about their upcoming wedding she resisted out of duty and obligation to him.

A half hour passed in talking when Lord David finally released her to go and speak with her father about something he needed to ask or wanted to say. She wasn't sure which one of those reasons it was, nor did she care because she was finally free to look at HIM again.

Turning around rapidly, Samara looked right back at the spot where he had been standing not too long before, eager to see him again. But a sad sigh escaped her soon as she realized that he was no longer there and she could not see him. Biting her lip in a bummed, depressed way, Samara bowed her head trying to hide her disheartened frown. She knew she would have liked to talk to him, maybe. But now he was gone and she had lost that chance. Sulking quietly, she rubbed her arms and tried to forget about him when she suddenly felt a warm breath graze her cheek, making a curl of her hair flutter as a rich, smooth, masculine voice whispered gently into her ear. "You've been staring at me."

Startled, Samara looked up quickly and saw HIM again, standing right before her with a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his lip. And immediately, a deep, dark blush formed on her face, pointing at her guilt. Biting her lip, she spoke shakily. "I…I'm sorry," she said with apology everywhere in her tone as he looked at him timidly. "I didn't mean to stare...it's just..." She fiddled with her fingers and gulped. "I've never seen you here before."

Nodding slowly, Tymothy took in how cute she was for a moment, with her blush hanging on her face and her eyes wide and baffled before he spoke again in a slightly teasing tone. "Is that all?" he said leaving her to blush even darker and soon she resembled a tomato. Samara looked down from him and took deep breaths, not daring to look back up at him in case he saw right through her with those soul-searching eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted him to know she had been staring at him largely because she found him incredibly striking and impossible to ignore.

Watching her for a few moments as she stood there with her eyelashes lowered and her head bowed out of nervousness before him, Tymothy memorized the moment and took it into his heart before he threw caution to the wind and made his move. "'If you don't mind…" he said, making her look up at him again. Holding out his hand towards her he smiled charmingly. "May I have a dance?"

Her blush returned to her face even harder as she stared at his outstretched hand. But a quick moment later she nodded letting him take her hand in his own. Samara felt her heart jump around in her chest when his fingers closed around her gloved hand, enveloping it completely as if two parts of a puzzle just meant to fit together. And when he led her to the dance floor and they began dancing to the gentle melody, Samara tried her best not to outright stare at him but she could not keep from peeking at him every second moment. He was so handsome, even more handsome up close than he had been at first glance and Samara decided, after spending a good amount of time studying every inch of his face that his eyes were her favourite feature. Biting her lip, Samara smiled slightly knowing she felt she could spend all her time just looking into his eyes and doing nothing else.

"Is there something on my face, my lady?" he said a moment later, leaving her to blush hotly again and look down at her feet as the waltz continued. And because she was too busy studying her sandaled feet, she didn't see how he was staring at her too, equally as enamoured and unable to look away.

Chucking in response to something Lord David had said, Shawn took a moment to look around the ballroom and try and find his daughter. He couldn't help but wonder where she had gone to as her mother was here by his side and her two friends, Clovera and Alexandria were dining while talking amongst themselves. Suddenly his eyes went wide out of utter surprise when he saw her with another man, waltzing with a smile on her face. Lord Shawn had to work hard to keep his jaw from falling open as he watched them because his Samara, she never, EVER danced with anyone. No the only man she had ever waltzed with was her betrothed, Lord David but that too only out of obligation and requirement. Yet here she was, waltzing with another man and looking completely at ease as if she could not be happier than she was at his moment. His eyes landing on her dance partner, Shawn narrowed his eyes taking in the young man he had never seen before and he could not help but be overwhelmed with curiosity. Who was this man?

Turning to his soon to be son-in-law, Shawn asked him the question wondering if he knew the answer. "Who…who is that man?" he asked, directing David's attention to him with a point of his finger. Glancing out into the crowd, David saw who his betrothed was waltzing with and froze because he had never, ever seen this man in his life. "I have no idea," he admitted to Lord Shawn and soon they found themselves watching Samara and the mystery man in hopes of finding out.

A smile remained on Samara's face as he twirled her around because she was having such a good time. "You're a very good dancer," he said, pulling her close again. Blushing when her feet touched his, Samara nodded. "As are you," she whispered, complimenting him back. Smiling at her words, Tymothy spoke again. "And might I get to know the name of such a pretty lady?" he said, asking even though he knew because he desperately wanted to just keep talking to her just so he could hear her voice.

Blushing hard, Samara bit her lip before speaking in a shy, hushed tone. "Samara Simpson..." She said, answering him. Smiling harder, Tymothy nodded. "Samara…" he said repeating her name and Samara bit her cheek, keeping herself from shivering at how he said her name in his baritone voice. His eyes looked straight into hers as he smirked softly. "Samara is a beautiful name." Blushing again, Samara took a deep breath in to try and calm her heartbeat but to no avail. And a quick moment later she found herself asking for his name. "And yourself?" she said, knowing she just had to know what was the name of this gorgeous stranger was.

"My name is Tymothy Scam," he said, making her cheeks burn again because she even liked his name. _"He's so mysterious,"_ she thought to herself privately. Wanting to know more about him Samara found herself speaking again, speaking more to a man than she ever had in her entire life as a noblewoman. "Where do you live?" she asked. Smiling, he responded to her. "Far but…" he said before slightly tightening his hold on her hand as he looked her deep in her eyes. "Not far enough that I can't visit again."

The moment he said that, Samara's lips just burst into a smile unable to stop themselves. And a moment later when the song ended, she gulped, reluctant to let him go as she kept holding his hand. She could easily see all the girls that were there, just buzzing around him and she knew if she released him, he'd have a new partner in seconds. That he'd be looking at another woman with those heavenly eyes and she couldn't avoid the sting of jealousy she felt at that thought.

"I have to go now," he said suddenly, drawing his hand away from hers and leaving her face to fall. Biting her cheek and looking up at him, Samara tried but failed at holding back all the heartbrokenness in her tone. "So soon?" she said loudly, sadly, because she had been thinking maybe they'd play a song again and maybe he'd ask her to dance again, Suddenly she realized that her question had come out panicked. Blushing and speaking in a softer tone, she looked at him hopefully and spoke again. "Can't you stay a while, my lord? The ball isn't over yet…." She said with her lower lip between her teeth, wondering if he could tell how desperately she wanted him to stay a while longer.

Smiling at her, his heart beating strongly in his chest Tymothy whispered, "Would you like me to stay?" Her throat going dry at the direct question he had asked her, Samara took a moment to think and find a response that would not give her real intentions away…she hoped. "...It's not very nice to leave a party until it's over," she said, blushing deeply. A soft chuckle escaped him at that and Samara felt an array of butterflies buzzing around in her stomach in various directions leaving her almost dizzy.

"Yes it's rude indeed," he said nodding his head, before he sighed. "Yet, it's also rude to hog a man's fiancée." he looked at her thoughtfully. "Would you like to dance with your betrothed again?" Samara could not keep her face from falling at his suggestion despite all her attempts. Looking away from him, she awkwardly rubbed her arms and shrugged. "Um...I guess I could...if no one else is asking me..." She said, hoping he'd get the hint she was giving him.

Thankfully for her, he did. "Well...I'll ask you again, if you don't mind," he said, taking her hand in his again and leaving a smile to explode on her face as they danced together again in perfect harmony with each other all over again.

Standing off to the side, still watching them, Lord Shawn and David could not help but notice that Samara had been waltzing with this man, whoever he was, for a long time now. In fact, it had nearly been a half hour and Shawn found his curiosity tipping over to the point of torture. He just had to know who this man was that had captured all of his daughter's attention. Turning to one of the older statesmen who was at his party, Shawn decided to ask him the same question he had earlier asked David. "Excuse me, but would you happen to know who that man is?" he said pointing to him but the statesmen shook his head having no idea.

No one had any idea who he was, this stranger and his identity was the centre of ball's attention. The women were gossiping away amongst themselves excitedly wondering who he was and why he was only dancing with Lady Samara and none other, and the other men were wondering how such a wealthy man had never come here before. But no one had any answers to give and he remained a mystery till the point of his departure.

Hearing the song end, and remembering the promise he had made to the Devil to start his work tonight, Tymothy moved to go. But he stopped when he felt that Samara was still holding his hand in between her own. Turning back to her, he glanced at their joined hands and seeing that he had noticed, Samara slowly, reluctantly let it go. "It… "She started slowly, before pausing to force the sorrow over his having to leave out of her tone. "It was nice to get to meet you my Lo-"

"You may call me Tymothy, my lady," he said interrupting her. Blushing, Samara nodded and Tymothy turned to leave. Watching him go, Samara found herself asking him the one question that was chewing away at her mind, unable to stop herself. "Will….will we ever meet again?" Tymothy smiled to himself at her question before he turned his head over his shoulder and answered her with his eyes peering deep into her own. "I would hope so," he said before smirking and swiftly walking way.

And Samara was left blushing profusely with her heart beating hard and fast. Keeping her eyes on him as she exited the double doors, Samara knew she had never felt this way before…about anyone. This stranger, this Tymothy…he was really something. Blushing she kept watching him till every last moment before he finally left and she couldn't see him anymore. In fact she was so wrapped up in watching him that she never noticed when her mother came over to her.

"Handsome, that one, isn't he?" she asked, making Samara jump a little before she blushed all over again and silently nodded her head. The words handsome didn't eve begin to describe him. Smiling, Gabriella continued. "He was a gentleman too," she said knowing these things. "I could tell," she said before turning her daughter towards her with her shoulder and looking at her curiously. "You spent a lot of time with him…What did you talk about?" Gabriella asked, smiling harder. "You looked like you were having a really good time."

Her blush being way too hard to even control now, Samara bit her lip and spoke quickly. "N-Nothing much, just...talk," she said nervously. Seeing her mother's unsatisfied look at her response, Samara knew she had to get away before she pried the truth out of her. "Night mother," she said quickly hugging her mother before she turned and dashed off to go hide in her bedchamber under the guise of needing sleep after a long evening. But as soon as Samara left, Gabriella glanced across the room at her husband.

They shared a knowing look because even if Samara hadn't admitted it, they had both seen how she had been blushing and looking all enamoured and enraptured while that man had been here. Her emotions were there, clearly in her eyes as she danced with him and they, they had easily noticed it.

Hurriedly mounting the steps and reaching her room, Samara opened her door an ran into it before jumping on her bed and smiling widely….

And she just could not stop smiling. Smiling, nor thinking of that man. Letting out a dreamy sigh, Samara leaned down and lay on her stomach. "Lord Tymothy Scam…." She said, smiling harder as his image floated before her eyes and her heart thumped with joy. Letting out another dreamy sigh, she rolled over in her bed and blushed as she continued to recount every moment she had shared with him tonight in her head. And somewhere in the very back of her mind, she knew she should not be thinking about him this way because she was an engaged woman, very soon to marry another man and this was wrong but-she just couldn't help but ignore that thought and keep thinking about him anyway.

Carefully looking up from his usual spot, Tymothy Scam, still here stood watching her for a moment. And his heart erupted with joy when he saw how happy she looked and he couldn't help but hope that it was because of him because he had felt a connection between them, that same connection he had felt for years only stronger this time that they were meant to be. And when he saw her lips move and seem to say his name along with a happy smile and a blush coating her beautiful face, he smiled as well as he had only one, joyous thought. She had felt their bond as well. Satisfied, he turned and walked away, feeling more joy than he ever had in his whole, entire life.

**-o-O-o-**

It had taken him a while to reach his new home, his new bigger, palatial home, and even longer still to locate his bedroom in hundreds of rooms of the "Scam Mansion." But he had found it at last and now he sat here just thinking about Samara and the events of a few hours ago. And he was happy, insanely happy because things could not have gone better than they had tonight. Life was finally looking up to him. Feeling a flash of light nearby, Tymothy narrowed his eyes in curiosity and looked towards the mirror where he traced it to. And when he glanced there, he found the Devil staring back at him with a toothy grin. "You look happy," he said, pointing his blivet towards Tymothy. "I take it, it went well?"

Scam nodded his head before deciding to cut to the chase. There was no point in stalling. "I'm ready to do your job now." Blinking his eyes the Devil looked at him curiously. "Don't you want to look around at your new home first? You paid a huge price for it boy," he said, knowing the price could not be measured in any amount of gold coins and never would be able to. But Tymothy only shook his head in denial. "I didn't pay my price for the home. I could care less about this palace," he said firmly. "I traded my soul to be near Samara…besides that, this place means nothing to me," he said with nothing but honesty in his tone. Finding himself puzzled yet again the Devil looked at Tymothy for a long moment before shaking his head knowing this human would always remain an enigma to him.

"Alright then," he said moving on. "I have a soul I need you to go after." Nodding his head because Tymothy had expected as much since this was the deal he had struck, he moved to start on his task but paused momentarily at the voice of the Devil behind him. "The irony of your situation is boy, that one day you'll be just like the souls you chase to bring to hell..." Turning around, Tymothy watched the Devil smirk at him. "Only you'll go without a fight as in our deal." Simply nodding his head, Scam accepted what was his destiny and left the room to began paying the price of becoming visible in Samara's life. But no matter the burden and difficulty of the job, he went with a smile on his face because he knew he had left an impression on Samara. And no amount of pain nor suffering would take that joy away from him. Yes, he would be thinking about her all night and he couldn't help but hope that Samara too, would be doing the exact same thing for him.

**-o-O-o-**

Laying awake in her bed hours later, Samara kept trying to sleep but she had her mind stuck still stuck on Tymothy Scam, still stuck on the furtive man in black and she still could not stop thinking about him even for a second. Even long enough to sleep. Groaning, she tried cursing at herself angrily. _"Why am I thinking about him like this? It's so wrong! I'm an engaged lady, this is NOT right!" _

Sighing heavily, and clutching her pillow to her chest, she bit her lip. "Well I'll probably never see him again so it's okay," she whispered to herself, knowing she probably would never see him again. Theirs had been a chance encounter, a one time thing, and it would never happen again. So she could stop worrying about being improper and forgetting she was another man's lest she saw him again.

But as she told herself that, she could feel her heart sinking and she knew she had never felt sadder. She knew she was miserable and desperately wanted to see him again because she knew that even though she shouldn't want to see him, she was DYING to see him again. Sighing heavily, Samara knew that heaven only knew if she'd get her wish. But as she sat there praying to meet him again, she remembered something that brought her smile back to her face in a rush of joy. He had said he hoped they would meet again as well and he had said he didn't live far enough not to ever see her again. It was very possible she would see him again. It was more than possible.

Unable to feel upset at that thought even though she belonged to Lord David, Samara fell asleep with a smile on her face, her thoughts on Tymothy as she blew out the candle she had lit and wondered while she closed her eyes, the last thought on her mind, if she had left an impression on him as deeply as he had on her. And then she drifted into a peaceful, dream-filled slumber of _her _mystery man.

**-o-O-o-**

The next morning, Samara made herself busy doing things for her upcoming wedding. She kept involving herself with everything to do with it, helping out with even tasks not meant for a royal lady that left all the servants wondering. But she bowed her head, and averted their eyes and kept going, knowing she needed this. She needed this reminder that she was getting married in four days desperately. She needed to keep her mind on Lord David and not…not Tymothy Scam.

Sighing when she saw his face in her mind again and remembered his smooth-rich-voice and how it had spoken to her all night long both at the ball and in her private dreams, Samara let out a small, depressed sigh because it was honestly no use. Despite her frantic attempts all day long all she could think of was still that mysterious man and where he came from and if they were ever going to meet again. Sighing, and feeling dismayed, Samara sat down on a garden bench after putting down the flowers she had been insisting to help arrange for the wedding decorations. "Glad you decided to finally take a break dearest," her mother said, and Samara didn't bother letting her know she had not stopped out of fatigue but out of sadness. "Your friends are here, why don't you talk to them for a little?" she said, and Samara looked up to find her three best friends, Clovera, Alexandria and Britania standing before her.

"Hello Samara," Alexandria said for all of them as they smiled happily and sat down near her. Looking around at the wedding preparations that were fully underway, Britania smiled excitedly. "It's almost time, isn't it?" she said and Samara nodded and tried not to look glum because her friends had the ability to read her like a book. Britania nodded her head. "Well, good thing we have our bridesmaids dresses all sorted out, we'll be wearing them really soon." Again, Samara had to keep from sighing heavily and she simply smiled faintly and nodded. Letting out a giggle, Clovera poked her in the shoulder. "You're so quiet Samara! Say something!" A sly look formed on her face. "Or are you a tiny bit unhappy that you're getting married first and pushed into life as a quiet, docile wife?" Samara felt her heart fall. Yes she was unhappy but not at

becoming a wife. She wouldn't mind being quiet and obedient to a man she wanted. A man like-

She lowered her head even more and tried to hide in herself. She couldn't think of him like this. It wasn't right. Rolling her eyes, Alexandria jumped to Samara's defence. "At least Samara's getting married, YOU on the other hand," she said giving Clovera a pointed glance leaving her cheeks to redden as they all laughed at the knowledge that Clovera had a reputation of a social butterfly whose heart settled on one man for a short while before landing on the next. Huffing, Clovera crossed her arms over her chest and spoke firmly. "Well I'm happy I'm not engaged yet, it leaves my options open," she said, letting out a dreamy sigh of bliss.

Now curious as to who was responsible for practically making Clovera swoon harder than ever, Samara stopped thinking about Tymothy for a moment and smiled at her. "Oh I know that sigh," she said, looking at her best friend inquisitively. "Who are you thinking of this time?" Smirking back at her Clover spoke excitedly. "Same man everyone is thinking about," she said leaving Samara to blink in confusion. And when Alexandra and Britania looked lost as well, Clover let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh my God!" she said sounding alarmed. "Didn't you all see HIM last night? Lord stunning eyes, dreamlike face, perfect hair?" Sam felt herself blush automatically knowing they were talking about Lord Tymothy and looked down to hide her burning face as her friends all squealed in excitement.

"Oh right, that tall, handsome, mysterious man," Britania said, giggling. 'You mean the one who came in and stole the party with his enchanting presence?" Alexandria asked as Clover giggled excitedly letting her know he was the one. Samara bit her cheek and kept her head lowered as her face quickly became saddened. This was the most uncomfortable situation she had ever faced. Sitting here, hearing her friends salivating over the man she kind of….REALLY liked for the first time in her life. It was the most difficult and painful thing she had ever felt. She wanted to make them stop, tell them to leave him alone and not think of him or talk about him, or even know he existed. She wanted her to be the only one to ever think of him, dream of him, be with-

Stopping her thought, Samara's face fell even more. She couldn't do that. Any of that, because she was a taken woman. Sighing quietly as she hugged her knees to her chest, Samara knew she couldn't even tell Clovera, Alexandria or Britania to stop. She had no right to. They were all single women and she was not. And even more than that…she had no claim on Lord Scam. Feeling herself grow even sadder, Samara decided to change the topic. If they didn't stop talking about him soon, she was scared she'd burst out in tears or say something she was not allowed to say. And she could not let that happen. "I needed to buy some shoes to go with my wedding dress," she said cutting the discussion about the exact colour of Tymothy's eyes short. Looking around at her friends, she smiled nervously hoping she was being convincing. "Anyone want to help me?"

Clovera sighed having had been enjoying obsessing about that handsome man's eyes and muscles and everything else until Samara interrupted. Remembering what Samara had said, Clovera looked at her oddly. Shoes? She had thought her mother had taken care of that weeks ago. "...I thought your mother found shoes?" she said, voicing her confusion but Samara only shook her head in response. "All right then," Alexandria said standing up. "Let's go find some." And with that, they all stood up and left and Samara let out a breath of relief glad that they were no longer talking about HIM no more. But something told her that Clovera would bring him up again and she found herself frowning sadly at that thought before she shook her head and warned herself that she should not care, or mind. She had no…right to.

Right?

**-o-O-o-**

Standing at the marketplace, Samara's friends sifted through the shops set up and looked around for things to purchase excitedly. Samara was smiling because Lord Scam had been forgotten for the last while as the wonderful things to buy had caught her friends' interests. But a moment later she found herself cringing at Clovera's words. "I'm getting a new dress. I'm going to a ball today out in the country and _he _might be there," she said, sighing dreamily before she smirked. "And he might notice me if I wear lilac...Samara that's what you were wearing right?"

Samara, who had been silently glaring at Clovera from behind a fan she was "buying", jumped at the mention of her name. "Huh? What?…Why do you ask?" she managed to say without blushing in embarrassment and without using the fan she was holding for something else other than airing her face. Rolling her eyes at Samara's cluelessness, Clovera smirked. "Because, if you didn't notice Samara dearest, he only danced with you last night." Blushing immediately at that fact, Samara tried hiding her face behind her fan until only her eyes were visible. "Oh…I didn't realize that," she said, ignoring how dumb she sounded to her own ears. "I was wearing purple, yes." she said quickly, hoping for the conversation to move off of Tymothy Scam now. Unfortunately for her it didn't and her friends, now all of them, continued going gaga over how wonderful he was. And they would not stop for even one moment, especially Clovera who went so far as saying she might be in love with him.

Feeling beyond awkward and depressed amidst this discussion, Samara moved to another cart and forced herself to look at the jewellery laid out there to calm herself down. She took her time studying the various pieces and listening to the seller as he told her how nice they would look amongst other larger, more expensive things he had to sell, and she was almost over her sadness when she suddenly got that same feeling again that she had felt last night. That feeling that she was being watched intensely enough that her skin was on fire. Her eyes widened as she remembered this feeling had only occurred when HE had been there and she found herself quickly spinning around and looking up to find him. Her face fell when she didn't see him anywhere and she turned back around sadly before she reminded herself that she should not be thinking about him.

Trying to use the items before her to distract herself from his memory, she absentmindedly picked up a string of pearls and tried to be interested, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice whisper in her left ear, "Those would suit your complexion, you know?" A gasp shot out of her mouth as she jumped and dropped the pearls in alarm but Tymothy moved and caught them before they could fall. Smiling, he held them out to her. Holding her hand over her heart, Samara just stared at him as she breathed deep and looked at him with wide eyes. Where had HE come from? He hadn't been there just a second before when she had looked for him.

Seeing all the alarm on her face, Tymothy kept up his smile not giving himself away. He knew why she was surprised. After all, he had seemed to show up out of no where. But that wasn't the case, she just didn't know he had used his Devil-gifted powers for his job to become invisible when she was looking for him and then his powers of materialization to appear right next to her and that was why she hadn't seen, nor heard him coming.

Finally getting a hold on her heartbeat, Samara spoke in hushed whisper. "You...startled me, my lord." Letting out a small chuckle, he smiled slightly, "I tend to do that a lot don't I?" he said and Samara felt her cheeks go red again as she felt he might be making reference to that fact that she seemed to be a personified tomato around him. Desperate to stop blushing, she changed the topic. "What brings you to the marketplace?" she asked curiously. A slight smirk touched his lips as he watched her for a long moment before answering her in a low, rough-sounding whisper, "You."

Samara's eyes flew open and a gasp escaped her mouth despite all her attempts to stop it. Had he just said what she had thought he said? Flustered, she spoke in a quiet, stutter. "M...Me?" she asked, alarmed. Secretly smiling at her frazzled state because she looked so adorable right now, staring at him like that, Tymothy decided to be sly just to see how she'd react. "For your wedding," he said, successfully turning the conversation in a different angle. "I have to get a present, I'm invited right?" he said, giving her a bright, charming smile. Samara blinked before her face crumbled in disappointment.

For one moment, she had actually thought he had meant he was here for her, just HER and not her wedding to Lord David_. "But why would he do that?" _she asked herself bitterly after she had come to her senses. _"I'm betrothed, and he's so wealthy and handsome and…and beautiful that he could have….anyone. Why would he want me?" _Sighing, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and answered his question. "I suppose you are invited my lord-"

"Tymothy," he said, smiling at her and Samara was left blushing again at his suggestion she use his name to address him. Something she just didn't feel right doing. "'I don't like saying your name my lord…" she looked up at him and frowned. "It seems disrespectful to me." Looking at her curiously he smirked. "And why is that?" he asked, leaving her mouth to go dry. To be honest she had no idea. Seeing that he was waiting for his answer, she shrugged slowly. "I don't know…" she said, awkwardly as she met his eyes. "It just…is." He chuckled again in that way that made her melt like snow under the sun's rays before he spoke again. "Well mostly women hesitate to say the name of their husbands or fiancées..." He said, leaving her eyes to go wide. He chuckled again. "You must be even more respectful to give a random man that honour."

Samara was sure she couldn't blush any more than she was right now. She had caught the indication in his tone. Blushing profusely, but being unhappy with his last few words, she found herself mumbling something before she could prevent herself. "Well you don't seem like a random man to me, my lord."

"What?" he said, and Samara bit her lip hard, blushing even more because he might have heard her. "Nothing," she said, trying to recover. Waiting for her blush to fade a little she finally looked up at him. "So what are you planning on getting me for my wedding?" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her thoughtfully. "What would you like my lady?" Samara blushed at the question before shrugging her shoulders. "I…I don't know," she said, playing with her fingers shyly. She could only hope it wasn't blatantly obvious to him that her brain didn't work really well when she was around him.

"Are you happy with this wedding?" she heard him say suddenly and she looked up at him, caught off guard as she had not seen that question coming. Why would he even ask her something like that? "Why...why do you ask?" she asked, wanting to know. Biting his cheek, Tymothy watched her face for a moment as he thought this over. He knew he was putting her on the spot right now and risking the delicate thread they had established between them by asking her this but…He only had four days left before she married another man. He couldn't afford to delay this conversation.

Noticing her still looking at him curiously he started speaking. "I don't know it's just..." He started only to fade off again as he wondered how to explain why he had posed that question to her without giving away his own feelings. He had to be careful not to ruin this.

"Just what?" she asked, prodding him for an answer. Getting one a quick moment later he sighed before looking back into her eyes. "It's just that..." Tymothy raised a hand and softly traced her cheek leaving her to shiver slightly and bite her cheek. "Your beautiful colour seems to drain a little whenever your wedding is mentioned." Samara's body went tense and she froze on the spot as she stared at him speechlessly. She blinked slowly as shock overcame her. She couldn't believe…that he had noticed. That he had been the one to notice out of everyone she knew that she…

That she didn't want to marry Lord David at all. Yes, she had been okay with it because her father had chosen him and her mother had approved and he was right by his social standing but-she didn't love him, she had NEVER loved him. Her marriage, it was all arranged. She barely even knew Lord David as a person, only what her father had told her and what Lord David had said to her at certain, timed meetings at balls and social events. And while she had met him quite a lot, she had never felt that bond nor attraction to him that she, that any woman would want to have for her the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

So all in all, she was just doing this for her parents, a fact that she hadn't disclosed to anyone but somehow HE had still noticed. Once again she got the feeling that he could just see right into her soul. Pushing away that feeling because she couldn't have him no mater what, she tried to defend her match with Lord David. "I'm not miserable about my wedding to Lord David. He's a nice man," she said honestly, knowing that he was a polite gentleman. But Tymothy only smirked at her just slightly before speaking in a firm, decisive whisper. "But you don't see him as your fiancée or soon-to-be husband."

Stunned at his words, Samara narrowed her eyes and looked up at Tymothy wondering what kind of implication she had given had brought upon that observation. "...Why would you say that?" she asked curiously, knowing she didn't understand. She had just even said that Lord David was a good man and hadn't mentioned anything about her marriage being arranged. Looking at her with knowing eyes, Tymothy spoke again. "Because you said Lord _David_...David is his name right?" She just stared back at him wordlessly, not quite sure where he was going with this yet. But his next words made his message perfectly clear. "If I remember correctly, not too long ago you agreed that women don't generally say their fiancée's or husband's name..." he said, knowing she hadn't said anything to disagree with him at that point. "Or even the names of those men they see in high regard…" he said, looking at her piercingly. "As you refused to say my name."

Staring at him with wide eyes, Samara had no idea what to say at all. Her throat dry, she just stood there listening to his logical words. "Yet you didn't hesitate to say "David," he said, making reference to how she had said Lord David and not just her lord or her betrothed. "..Doesn't that say a lot?" he asked. Samara was rendered completely speechless at his observation and she found herself unable to say a word as he just stared at her with penetrating eyes and an expression that showed he could honestly see right through her. She hadn't even…she hadn't even realized that she had give her feelings away. But now he knew.

Biting her lip, Samara tried but failed at finding words to mend her mistake. She just didn't have anything to say to counteract what he'd said and she felt stupid. She felt dumb, that she had just told someone that she was not jumping for joy for her wedding. Something she knew her family would not be happy to know if they found out. Trying to fix this, she attempted to speak again. "I...What I meant was...I…" and she trailed off, finding that she couldn't even form words and she lowered her head in defeat.

Seeing her defeated expression, Tymothy spoke again with compassion and understanding in his tone. "You do not have to lie to me, my lady. You could tell me you're happy a million times I would still know you don't mean it." Raising her head, Samara looked at him startled at his words. "...H-how?" she asked, bewildered. Flickering his gaze onto hers, Tymothy whispered, "Your eyes don't know how to lie as well as you think they do," he said, giving her an understanding smile.

Knowing she was caught, Samara just bit her lip and nodded slowly feeling like an open book to him. And she was scared he would read too much and maybe realize that he was the one making her second guess her upcoming marriage. Pushing herself to defend her decision to wed Lord David because, as she made herself remember, her parents wanted this match more than anything, Samara spoke again. "But my father really likes him...David. And so does my mother and...I...I think he's a good person and I like him too becaus-"

"But do you love him, my lady?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes and Samara felt shivers roam her body right then. Biting her cheek as she felt her heart racing, Samara didn't know why but Tymothy Scam…he just got to her and she couldn't understand why. "Do you, my lady?" she heard him repeat and she shuddered slightly at the sound of his voice before finally speaking, knowing he wanted an answer. "Parental approval matters but ...love...love's not important," she said, saying what any good, well-brought up woman would say.

But he wasn't satisfied, she realized when he stepped a little closer, his feet nearly brushing hers as he asked another question. "Isn't it?" he said, looking at her with those same, soul-wrenching eyes. Samara bit her lip as she took deep, unsteady breaths. He was so close to her right now she could almost touch him. It was like she could breath him into her essence. And she had to shake her head to ward off her dizziness and the cloudiness that had settled over her mind at his close proximity before she gave him the answer she had been taught to say if she was ever asked this question all her life.

"Y-yes..." She stuttered out.

He stared at her for a long moment before he nodded his head slowly. "If you say so, my lady," he said stepping back immediately. "So what would you like for your wedding then?" Raising her hands and awkwardly rubbing her arms, Samara tried to keep her face from showing her regret. But she could feel it on her skin, she felt cold now that he had moved away from her. She felt strangely rejected. Brushing away that feeling because it should never be there, Samara shrugged. "I'm sure anything you bring will be fine my lord," she said quickly.

"Tymothy," he said smirking and leaving her to blush because she knew she wouldn't use his name and knew what that would make it look like based on his earlier words. _"But it's not like it's not the truth anyway.." _she found herself thinking. Realizing how vulnerable she was getting to him, Samara knew she had to leave now. "...I must leave now, bye my lord," she said before quickly turning around and going back to her friends, never noticing how her pearl bracelet just seemed to vanish from her hand as she did so.

Reaching her friends, Samara waited till her blush was gone until she made her presence known to them. Seeing her back again, they all looked at her questioningly as Alexandria asked where she had gone off to. "Just looking at jewellery," Samara said, avoiding their gazes as she focused on the scarves that the seller was displaying behind them.

But a moment later she heard her best friend Clovera squeal in excitement. And when she screamed the words, "Oh my God, is that HIM?" Samara knew she had noticed Tymothy standing there. And sure enough a quick moment later she saw all her friends bounce over to him in a hyper state to go and talk to him and try and win his affection. Staying back, Samara sighed heartbrokenly.

But she had known this was going to happen. Sighing again, she knew she had been hoping to escape home before they saw him. But it wasn't happening now. From the corner of her eye she watched her friends make small talk with him, ask him where he was from and what he did, and drool at him and she gripped her fingers into a fist unable to help the feeling of raw envy that coursed through her veins with every moment they spent with him.

"So...you engaged? Married?' she heard Clovera suddenly say, and her breath got stuck in her throat for two reasons. One, did Clovera have to make such a direct of a move on him? And two….was he married? Gulping down a dry throat, she kept her ears strained to hear his response while she pretended to look at merchandise. And seeing how she had tensed at her best friend's question, Tymothy couldn't help but feel joy grip his heart. "No, I'm single," he said, answering her friend but actually giving his answer to Samara's ears. Clovera let out a squeal in the next second. "Oh dear God, so am I!" she said, giggling and batting her eyelashes at him.

Still watching from the corner of her eye and listening in on their conversation, Samara had to force herself to look at the scarves before her and study their patterning in order not to glare or pout. Still, a small pout touched her lips anyway and seeing it Tymothy silently observed how cute she was, thinking he had interest in her friend and being upset. But he only had, and would only ever have, eyes for her.

"Well I hope you find a good husband soon," he said to Clovera, hinting to her that he wasn't for her. Not taking the hint she just looked at him before speaking flirtatiously. "Well how about...you?"

Hearing her, Samara cringed and picked up a scarf to hide her angry, red face from everyone. She just hoped the cloth was thick enough to achieve that. She had a sinking feeling that it wasn't. Seeing Samara's furious face, Scam chuckled at Clovera. "Well...I'm sorry I can't," he said, leaving Clovera to pout sadly. "Why not?" she asked, raising her hands dramatically. "You said you were single and not married or engaged." Nodding his head, Tymothy agreed with her but shrugged. "True but...I'm in love," he said, smirking as he crawled his gaze back onto where Samara stood.

Having heard his words, Samara went tense. Lord Scam…was in love with someone? Unable to resist, Samara slightly turned and flickered her gaze across only to have her eyes widen when she saw that he was staring right at her unblinkingly. And she dropped the scarf she was holding out of shock as her heart began to thunder in her chest. Was he…was he talking about….HER?

Her throat growing dry, Samara felt her pulse race at that possibility but found herself wondering why he would love her. Why would he love her? They had just met, just last night. Why would he reject a pretty, unmarried woman like Clovera for someone like her based on just two meetings? No, it didn't make sense. But as she kept her eyes on him she could easily see how he was looking at her without ever looking away even though Clovera was pulling on his arm and questioning his rejection. And in his gaze she could see so much longing and need and she didn't get why he was looking at her like that. No one had ever looked at her like that before and she didn't know what to do. She knew she felt a pull to him to, an undeniable attraction but she was getting married in four days. Four days only. She bit her cheek and hastily looked away to hide her pain.

Seeing her look away, Tymothy knew he had no more reason to stay here any more. He had hinted his feelings and now it was time for Samara to think about what she truly wanted. "I have to go," he said to her friends even though Clovera whined at him to stay. Using work as an excuse he turned and walked away swiftly.

Once he left, Clover walked back to Samara with the rest of their friends in tow and sighed heavily. "I wonder which lucky girl he's in love with," she mumbled. Nodding her head and hiding her blush with a flick of her hair over her shoulder, Samara whispered quietly more to herself than anyone else. "So do I..."

**-o-O-o-**

Poking the food platter on the dinner table, Samara sat deep in thought, in her own world while her parents excitedly talked amongst themselves about how there were only three days left now till the big day. Her wedding. But she couldn't hear them as she was too wrapped up in her own private thoughts, those thoughts that were wrapped up around one man and his most recent, jolting question. No, she hadn't answered it before, but now it was reverberating in her memory with crushing importance and she couldn't ignore it. Was love really not important?

Biting her cheek, Samara wondered over that question. Had her answer been right? Had she been right to say that parental approval was important in a marriage and love was not? Feeling her heart fall in her chest and a small sigh leave her, Samara realized that what had said to Tymothy Scam had been that which she was expected to say….

But not what was really how she felt. Love…it was important to her. Ever since she had been a little girl she had read stores about love at first sight and living happily ever after and she had always, in some deep end of her heart, longed for that to be what she would receive in life. Smiling sadly she knew that was why she was going to try to love Lord David after she married him, just so she could convince herself she was happy because she knew love would make her happy. But…for some reason that thought bothered her now. The idea of forcing herself to fall in love with Lord David after marriage now seemed like some hurdle she could not overcome.

And she didn't get why.

Just days ago, she had accepted her fate and made peace with her dreams by telling herself David was a good man and she could at the very least, love his qualities. But now, sitting here right now, she found that to be inconceivable. She found it a burden to try and fall for him and she wondered what had changed. Why was she so unwilling to even try to do that, which she was okay with doing just two days ago? What had changed in her that made this so…so impossible?

Suddenly her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened when a certain face flashed before her eyes, one that was on her mind endlessly for the last while and she sat up straight in her chair realizing that… she had met Tymothy Scam in this time period. She had met him exactly two days ago and that was when her feelings of doubt, her second guessing her marriage had begun. This realization hitting her at once, Samara dropped her spoon and the metal object hit the floor hard catching her parents' attention and drawing their eyes to her. But Samara didn't see their faces, as she sat there with her mouth slightly open as she gasped. And only one thought, one question ran through her mind over and over as her heart beat faster and faster.

Was she in love with Lord Tymothy Scam?

Breathing deeply, Samara wondered if that was it. If that was the reason she felt so dismayed at her approaching wedding. And it didn't take her too long to realize that…that had to be it,. No, there was no way, just no other way to explain what happened to her when he was near. There was nothing else to explain why her brain got fuzzy around him to the point that she couldn't think at all, how her heart ran in her chest at the sight of him, how when she was with him, all she wanted to do was keep staring into his eyes and do nothing more for the rest of her life but look at him. No the only explanation for all of these things, all these symptoms… was her feelings for him. It was like she had woken from a deep slumber and everything was suddenly crystal clear before her. She was…she was in love with Tymothy Scam. Somehow, someway…it had happened. She was in love.

"Samara?" she heard her father say, and she jumped in her chair. Seeing the questioning look on their faces, she realized that she was sitting there with her hand outreached over her plate without her spoon while her food continued to cool. And it was then when she realized she had dropped it a while ago and hadn't even noticed because she had been too wrapped up in Lord Scam's thoughts. Not knowing what to say to her parents who were watching her cautiously and desperately needing some time to handle the truth she had just come to terms with now, Samara swiftly stood up from her chair. "I'm sorry, Excuse me," she said before quickly leaving the dining room and heading upstairs to her room.

Once she left, Gabriella turned her head and settled her gaze onto her husband and exchanged a worried look with him. And seeing the expression on his face, Gabriella knew that he had noticed as well how their daughter had been acting different ever since last night, Ever since, as they both knew it, she had met that fascinating, mysterious man they had yet to discover the name of.

"She's been spacing out a lot...as if she's preoccupied," Gabriella said, slightly chewing on her lip. Looking at his wife with pointed eyes Shawn sighed. "You do know what that might mean…right?" he asked and Gabriella nodded her head having a clear idea where he was going with this. And she had a feeling he was right. Standing up from her chair, Gabriella moved to go after her daughter and get some answers. "Where are you going?" Shawn asked from behind her. "To talk to Samara," she said before mounting the long stairway to her daughter's room determined to figure out if their suspicions were right or not.

Reaching her daughter's room, Gabriella took a moment to carefully draw the door open and peer inside. And when she did she found her beloved child laying on her bed and sighing dreamily as if she was in a whole other universe. A universe that she had a deep feeling, revolved around a certain young man who was not her betrothed.

Sitting next to her girl who didn't even notice her, Gabriella poked her in the shoulder making her jump nearly one foot off the bed. Looking at her with concerned eyes, Gabriella spoke in a gentle, worried voice. "What's on your mind, dear?" she asked. Samara controlled her need to blush as she shoved away her thoughts about Tymothy Scam. "Nothing just...the wedding," she said, smiling nervously and hoping her answer would convince her mother. But Gabriella only looked at her with open doubt on her face. "Really?" she asked, sounding not at all believing of her answer. Chewing on her lower lip, Samara shrugged her

shoulders and turned her mother's question back onto her. "What else would I thinking about?"

Watching her daughter for a long moment, Gabriella sighed. She had actually hoped she would open up to her and say what was on her mind. But it looked like either they had been wrong to think she was possibly in love with that man, or more possibly that she was trying to hide it from them. She hoped that if that was the case, she would tell them the truth eventually. "I thought there was something else…" she said before changing the subject. "Anyway, how come you're not sleeping?"

"I was," samara said, tugging on her blanket to prove that she had been even thought Gabriella had seen her wide awake and sighing before she entered the room. But she chose not to force her daughter to admit anything. She wanted her to be the one to decide. Nodding her head, Gabriella turned to go seeing that her attempt had gone in vain and it didn't seem she was going to get any answers tonight. "Goodnight dear, sleep well," she said, turning away.

But a moment later her daughter's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Mother can I...can I ask you something?" she suddenly said and Gabriella turned to find her child blushing like a red rose. Curious, and wondering if this had to do with that man as her blush suggested, Gabriella nodded her head telling her to go on. Twiddling with her thumbs, Samara took a deep breath knowing what she had to ask was possibly going to give her away but…she just had to know. She just had to understand if what she was feeling for him was love or not. Making up her mind, Samara looked up at her mother and finally began. "Mother, you...you love father right?"

Gabriella blinked at the odd question but soon nodded with a smile, wanting to know where her daughter was going with this. Nodding her head, Samara bit her cheek before whispering out her next words. "How do….how do you feel around father?" Her eyes narrowing, Gabriella went back to wondering why Samara was asking her this but then she stopped, starting to see where she might be headed. And already her suspicions began to become confirmed so she played along. "Happiness," she said leaving her daughter to nod. "What about...does your heartbeat race?" Samara asked, deciding to match up her own feelings. "And…and does your mind go...fuzzy?" she asked, blushing at the look her mother was giving her.

Blinking her eyes slowly and looking at Samara pointedly, Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest and spoke firmly. "Why are you asking?" she said, hoping Samara would just tell her the right reason. Running her hand through her hair awkwardly, Samara shrugged. "Just curious," she said dodging the real answer but her blush gave her away to her mother. There might as well be a poster board behind her with her feelings written on it, they were that obvious. "I would say that does happen…" Gabriella said, deciding to go on. "I also find that I can't stop looking at him," she said, waiting to see how her daughter would respond to that. And sure enough she let out a gasp. "Something wrong dear?" Gabriella asked, taking a step closer to her daughter.

Panicking because she had gotten her conformation about her feelings and now did not know what to do all, Samara spoke in a quick stutter. "No-Nothing mother..." She said, biting her lip. She honestly felt like crying right now. She was marrying in three days to another man when she was in love with another one. Biting her lip, she controlled her urge to burst out into tears. She had to get rid of her mother before she let her true feelings out. "It's late I should sleep..." she said awkwardly, avoiding her mother's gaze. ".I think I have to meet Lord David's cousins tomorrow, night mother," she said quickly before plopping down onto her mattress, pulling the blanket over her head and closing her eyes so that her tears wouldn't be shown to her mother in case she was still watching her. She really hoped she wasn't. She tended to cry a lot when she was heartbroken.

Seeing that her daughter had hidden herself away, Gabriella stood there for a few moments hoping she'd come out of her blanket and admit what she was waiting to hear. But it never happened and after several moments had passed, Gabriella blew out the candle next to her daughter's bed and left to go find her husband and tell him what she had learned. Finding him pacing anxiously at the foot of the stairs, Gabriella wasted no time in telling him what he had to hear. "I think we're right…." she said softly. "Our Samara is in love."

Biting his cheek and looking at his wife in a worried way Shawn sighed. "What do we do about this?" he asked, knowing this was a delicate situation as Samara was due to marry in just three days to another man. A man they had given their word to. Looking equally as tense, Gabriella shook her head. "I'm not sure," she said knowing she honestly wasn't. Samara hadn't even admitted it outright to her yet that she was in love with this man and until she didn't there was really nothing they could do but speculate. Nodding his head slowly, Shawn spoke again. "Is it the man we think it is?" he asked and again Gabriella shook her head and said. "I'm not sure."

Watching her husband frown and sigh, Gabriella took his hand and held it tightly in her own as she spoke reassuring words to him. "She'll have to tell us eventually, my lord," Gabriella smiled. "If she feels as strongly as we think she does...then she won't hide it." Nodding his head at his wife's words and feeling a little at ease, Shawn smiled back at her hoping their daughter would come to them in time. Before she officially belonged to Lord David of Frescor.

**-o-O-o-**

Tymothy stopped paying her visits. Today he had not gone to see Samara nor bump into her for even a moment of the day. And while that was hard on him and took every ounce of his self-control, he had had a very important reason for having hid from her all day. He had wanted to see how she would react. He wanted to see how she would take it if he stopped being around her. It was something that had had to be done. She had said to him last that love didn't matter and had been quite upfront about that so that was the reason he had vanished from her line of sight.

He had intentionally tormented her all day because if love didn't matter to her then she would not care if he was there or not. Yes, if love meant nothing to her then she'd be happy and prepare for her wedding with Lord David and not even think about , nor look for him at all because she didn't love him.

But that hadn't been how she had reacted.

No, when just half the day had passed and she hadn't bumped into him she had already begun to be restless. He had seen it with his own eyes, how she had been glancing around all around her and sighing and blinking her eyes slowly at the place before her as if trying to see something that was supposed to be there but wasn't. He had seen her frowns, her pouts her unhappy state. Yet he had waited further, wanting to see how deep of a pull she felt towards him. And he had been rewarded for his patience.

Smiling, Tymothy remembered how he had caught her come to the marketplace where they had met yesterday all by herself despite wedding preparations going on at home and how she had looked around anxiously at the exact spot he had exchanged words with her only to sigh heavily when she couldn't find him. His smile widened even more when he remembered how she had even, as a last resort, asked her best friend Clovera if she had seen him around only to hear a no and get saddened even more. It had made him so happy to see her restless and miserable without him. Here she was getting married in just two days but all she was thinking about was him. Him and only him. He was finally on her mind the way she had been on his mind every waking and unconscious moment of his life since the day he had first seen her. She finally longed for him the way he had always longed for her. Finally.

He stood now in his usual place in her rose garden, looking at her in her room where she had run away to just five moments before after her sorrow and misery had become too apparent and her parents had nearly seen it. And now she was sitting by her window with a sad, disheartened frown on her beautiful lips as she talked to herself about no one but him thinking she was alone.

Tymothy listened in on her private conversation with eager ears as he thirsted to hear her say those three words he had been waiting all his life to hear from her lips to him. He just needed her to say it, just once. That was all he wanted in this life. Her and nothing more than her. Tymothy knew, if he could just hear her say those words then him having given up his soul and becoming a servant to the Devil…it would be worth it. _"Just say those words Samara…" _he silently prayed. _"Tell me you feel the same way for me that I've always felt for you. I need to hear you say it. Please…just once."_

"Why do I miss him so much? I only met him two days ago…" He heard her say as a sigh left her lips and he strained his hearing while he prayed to hear what he was dying to hear from her. Watching her with careful eyes, he saw a blush coat her pretty face and he felt his pulse quicken. Was this it? Was this IT? Was this going to be the moment he had been waiting for? The greatest moment of his life? With his heart beating rampantly in his chest he waited, holding his breath to hear her next words.

"I guess this is what happens when you're in love..." She finally said , her blush darkening even more and Tymothy froze on the spot. His mouth slightly parted and his heart flipped over in his chest and settled back down as he stood there wide-eyed. Then slowly…very slowly a smile of inexplicable happiness formed on his lips. She loved him. His Samara finally loved him. Finally and at long last. She loved him back. Happier than he had ever been, Tymothy had to tear himself away from his hiding spot and force himself to go home because all he wanted to do was go right up there, take her in his arms and tell her he loved her too. Telling himself that day would soon come, he made himself leave while smiling all the way like a what he was sure looked like a moron.

Reaching his home some time later, Tymothy went to his bedroom and sat down at the foot of his bed. He took a deep breath before taking another and then another as his mind tried to accept what he had just learned. While he had heard the words loud and clear and straight from Samara's mouth, he was still in a state of shock. He had waited so long for this and in just a few days of knowing him, she loved him. It almost seemed like a dream. It almost seemed to be good be true.

"I take it you got what you wanted," he heard from behind him and he jumped a little, startled at the sudden interruption in his thoughts of Samara. But when he turned around and saw the Devil looking back at him Tymothy smiled and answered him. "Yes, for the first time in my life things are going perfect for me," he said knowing for the first time they truly were. Things could not be better for him than they were now.

Nodding his head the Devil looked at him thoughtfully. "I hope it lasts," he said curtly before his thoughtful demeanour vanished and his usual businessman look appeared. "Anyways, I have a job for you," he said, getting right to business and Tymothy let out a sigh as a small frown touched his lips. He had just been hoping to just be free to think about Samara and be happy tonight. Seeing his hesitant look, the Devil gave him a stern stare. "We made a deal boy," he said warningly reminding Tymothy that he was the one responsible for all he had now and that could not go back on his promise.

Holding back the need to sigh again, Tymothy let his thoughts about the love of his life go and nodded his head. "Right, okay then," he said, prepared to go after another soul. But when the Devil began giving him his directions for the night, Tymothy found himself silently thinking how this job would always be a part of his life now. His and Samara's lives. And he found himself hoping that it wouldn't cost him later on. He wasn't sure he could stand to lose anything more in his life anymore...

Especially not something that would tear him apart.

**-o-O-o-**

Sighing to herself, Samara frowned. In fact, by now she felt that sighing and frowning was a regular part of her day. Biting her lip sadly, Samara held back her tears. It was the day right before her wedding. Tomorrow she'd be wed to Lord David of Frescor and it would be all over and she found that she just…She just wanted to see Tymothy. Sighing again, Samara knew she was dying to see him, even if it was just for a single moment. But she didn't even know where he lived. Not that that mattered anyway because she couldn't go see him.

She had tried earlier on, she had tried endlessly to make an excuse so she could step outside and ask around to see if someone, anyone knew where he lived. But she had been stopped by her family who had told her it was impossible for her to go anywhere today as she was marrying tomorrow and had to be go through her final adornments before she said her vows tomorrow. So she sat here with the only thing she had of his, his NAME and that was the only thing running through her mind while everyone spoke about her betrothed in excitement and joy.

Everyone except for her best friend Clovera who was sitting near her as she sulked while doing her duties as her bridesmaid and talked about Tymothy Scam. And even though she loathed how she obsessed over the man she was in love with, right now she missed him so dearly that even hearing his name from her best friend's lips brought solace and not sorrow.

"I wish I was the one…" Clovera said, sighing heavier than ever as she pouted away. "I wish I was his love," she muttered remembering that he said he loved someone and that was why he could not marry her. Suddenly a smirk touched her lips as she glanced up at Samara victoriously. "Well at least you're getting married," she said leaving Samara to blink. What did her marriage have to do with anything?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Samara asked slowly. Clovera's smirk widened on her face as she fanned herself with her ornate fan and dried her fresh kohl. "Well considering he seemed to be staring at you every time you were around...your marriage is a good thing," she said leaving Samara to stiffen at what she was suggesting, Her best friend was trying to say that it was her that Tymothy Scam loved. And while she had had that feeling herself she knew it was too much to ask for. Why would he love her when he could have anyone he set his eyes on? Someone who was less hassle than a betrothed woman? Trying not to sigh at that thought Samara spoke slowly. "Clovera, he doesn't love me…" she said before she found a soft blush forming on her cheeks and her lips speaking all on their own., "...Right?"

Blinking oddly, Clover stared at her best friend. Why was she asking if Tymothy Scam loved her? It wasn't anywhere appropriate. "Why are you asking?" she said sternly, not helping but feel defensive when it came to Lord Scam. Lightening up a little she smiled. "You're marrying Lord David," she said, reminding Samara what she was getting. "One of the most richest and most handsome men around."

Biting her lip, Samara nodded. "...Right", she said before she sighed and hugged her knees to her chest. Her thoughts lingered and got stuck on Tymothy Scam's face and an unconscious mumble left her. "Not the most handsome though..."

"...What?" she heard Clover ask, sounding shocked. Biting her cheek, realizing those words had actually left her mouth Samara knew she had to get away. It was too risky to be near her friends when all she could think about was Tymothy Scam, the man she was not allowed to have. "Nothing," she said, answering Clovera who was still looking at her with slightly widened eyes. Ignoring her, Samara stood up with haste. "I have to go...try on my wedding dress on again, bye," she said before darting off and never looking back at Clovera who she heard gasping behind her as if she had figured something out. And she didn't want to confront her about it.

**-o-O-o-**

Deep in thought, Tymothy wondered if he should see Samara or not. But he quickly decided he should just drop in, just to give her a teasing glance of himself because he knew that while she had not made a move to stop her wedding, she was missing him. And today was the last day he had to convince her to choose him as tomorrow she was marrying. Moving fast, he took out the pearl bracelet he had taken off her arm that day at the market, that she hadn't noticed thanks to the use of his powers, and left to go give it back to her while knowing this would be his pass to get inside her mansion again and hopefully see her.

Reaching her home an hour later, Tymothy stopped at the gate and wondered how to do this. He couldn't just ask to see the lady of the house. No that would give too much away. Spotting a servant who was busy polishing the gate from the inside, Tymothy moved over and spoke to her. "Excuse me," he said, easily catching the young woman's attention and she smiled at him before asking him who he wanted to talk to. Smiling back, he politely told her that he had a piece of Lady Samara's jewellery that she had dropped at the market the other day and he just wanted to give it back.

Opening the gate, she let him in and began leading him inside. "You can just give it back to my Lady's mother, my Lord, Lady Samara's swamped due to her wedding." Nodding his head he followed her while still hoping to get the chance to talk to Samara. Stopping when the servant told him they had reached, Tymothy waited patiently as she told who he knew was Samara's mother Gabriella about her visitor.

And a moment later when she turned to him he smiled before moving to hold out her daughter's bracelet to her. But he was stopped when she let out a gasp that drew his attention to her face, And when he looked up at her he found her staring at him with wide eyes and her finger pointed towards him. "...You…" she breathed out. "It's you." Blinking his eyes, Tymothy tried to pretend that he didn't know that she had recognized him from the ball. "...Did lady Samara mention that I might have picked up her jewellery where she dropped it?" he said, giving her an innocent face.

Shaking her head, Gabriella put down her finger. "Oh no...I was talking about something else," she said before controlling her urge to ask him about Samara and if he loved her because she knew her daughter was very possibly in love with him. "What brings you here?" she asked, sticking to appropriate questions that she was allowed to ask upfront. Smiling, Tymothy answered her. "Your daughter, Lady Samara she happened to drop her bracelet at the marketplace the other day." Drawing it out of his pocket he held it out towards Gabriella. "I'm just bringing it back."

Staring at his outstretched hand, Gabriella smiled. "That's awfully polite of you to come all this way just to bring this back to her," she said, starting to see why her daughter might be in love with this gentleman. He seemed very caring and wonderful. "It's my pleasure," Tymothy said, smiling because he knew he was more than happy to do anything for Samara. He held out the bracelet to Lady Gabriella again.

Biting her cheek as she stared at the bracelet, Gabriella wondered what to do. Could she use this to find out her daughter's feelings for this man? The wheels in her head turning quickly Gaby suddenly spoke. "Why don't you.…give it to her yourself?" She said looking up at him innocently and smiling. "She's in the gardens." Freezing on the spot, Tymothy held the bracelet in his hand tighter and stared at Samara's mother in surprise. She was…she was actually letting him meet with her daughter alone? Not bothering to question why because his whole reason to come here was to meet her daughter, Tymothy jumped at the chance and followed a servant to the gardens where Samara would be.

Once he left, Gabriella quickly tracked down her husband who was in his study and bounced over to him excitedly. "He's here," she said smiling. Lord Shawn who had been busy verifying that all the invites for the wedding tomorrow had been sent out and returned paused in his work and looked up at his wife in confusion. "Who is?"

"The prince-like man our daughter seems to be completely enthralled by," Gabriella said smiling and watching her husband's eyes widen. And she knew he was just as curious about Samara and his relationship as she was. Looking at him seriously she spoke again. "If we have any hope of finding out how Samara feels for sure then it's now," she said, taking her husband's hand. "Come on," she said before leading him out. Together they went, from a different entrance to the rose garden. Spotting their daughter quickly, they hid behind a hedge and spied on her, eager to see how she would interact with the man they had a feeling she was heavily in love with.

Samara sat in the middle of the garden on a stone bench with her arms around her knees and a sulk set on her face. Tomorrow was the day she was going to be married off and after that Lord Scam would just be an unattainable dream. And while she knew she couldn't have him she still hoped that she could see him, even if just for a second. Staring up at the sky, she saw the sky going dark and she sighed knowing he wouldn't show up now. It was much too late.

"Upset?" she suddenly heard in a smooth, masculine voice. Tensing, wondering if she was dreaming as she knew that voice, Samara turned her head and blushed immediately. Then a smile automatically formed on her lips when she saw Tymothy Scam was indeed here standing before her and this was no dream. "It's…it's you..." She breathed out, staring at him. Sitting down next to her, but leaving distance between their bodies Tymothy nodded. "Yes I thought I should stop by because it was obvious you were missing me."

Her eyes widening, Samara looked at him in alarm. Had he just said what she had thought he had just said? "Wh...what?" she asked all flustered, her mouth dry and her heart beating like a drum. Smiling inwardly at her blush and how it made her even prettier, Tymothy kept his thoughts off his face and held up her bracelet. "You were looking for this weren't you?" he said, bringing it closer to her so that she could see it. "You had to realize I had it." Her face falling fast, Samara bit her lip. "...Oh." She said mutedly. For one moment she had actually thought that he knew somehow that she was missing him. Brushing off that impossible thought, Samara smiled at him softly. "Thank you," she said, trying not to let her pout out as she reached out to take her bracelet back. But at the last moment he stopped her. "Allow me," he said, giving her a charming smile as he lifted her hand and put her bracelet back on her. Feeling his fingers touching her wrist, Samara's face went red and she bit her lip not to moan at how nice it felt. His warm, strong fingers caressing her skin. Managing to hold back her urge to moan she looked up at him with glazed over eyes and breathed out another thanks for his kindness and help.

Finishing with her bracelet, but not drawing his hand away from hers just yet, Tymothy spoke to her with his face inches from hers. "So…" he said, watching how her lips seemed to quiver when his breath washed across her face. "You must be really excited for tomorrow, my lady." Samara who was in daze at his proximity and how his fingers were almost massaging her wrist had no idea what he was talking about as her mind was completely blank. "What's tomorrow?" she asked softly, staring at his face. Blinking his eyes, Tymothy looked at her pointedly. "Your...wedding? To lord David?" he said, reminding her.

Her face going sad immediately, Samara quickly hid it behind a blank face before she nodded her head. "Right, yes I was just...thinking about that," She lied. Knowing she had been thinking of nothing but him all day, Tymothy looked at her with a small frown before speaking. "I'm sure you were," he said, slightly disappointed as he had been hoping she'd finally speak her mind to him. It didn't look like it was going to happen just yet. Noticing the darkness in the sky, Tymothy knew he had to leave as staying any longer would make him look inappropriate to her parents. Something, he didn't want to happen.

"Anyway I should go now," he said quickly as he let her hand go and stood up. Feeling her hand fall back into her lap and feeling cold immediately, Samara sighed and looked up at Tymothy sadly as he straightened out his coat and prepared to walk away from her again. She knew she wanted him to say so badly, more badly than anything, Opening her mouth, she tried to tell him to wait but nothing came out and so she looked down at he feet feeling small and hopeless. She didn't even have a reason to make him stay even though she wanted him to with every fibre of her being. Could things possibly get any worse?

"I don't think I'll be able to be at your wedding," she heard him say suddenly and Samara's heart sank as things just got even worse. Looking at him with heartbroken eyes, Samara spoke in soft, hushed whisper. "You...won't?" she said frowning. She had been hoping that at least she'd get to see him one last time as she said her vows tomorrow. But now, she thought sadly, now she would only see him eventually at some big party her husband Lord David would take her to. And at one of these parties she knew that one day, he would introduce her to his wife. Biting her lip sadly as sorrow clouded her heart she knew Lord Scam would get married one of these days and soon because he was just so desirable. It would happen and soon. She just knew it.

"Yes, I have somewhere else I need to be," he said smiling at her. "I give your my deepest congratulations though." Watching him with sad, desperate, longing eyes Samara bit her lip, "Can't you...attend somehow? Just...for a moment?" she asked pleadingly. Looking at her with a firm, unwavering look, wanting to hear her say something more to him, Tymothy whispered quietly. "Why?" Her jaw parting, Samara blinked her eyes being caught off guard again at his question. And she found herself sighing a second later. Why? WHY did he always put her on the spot like that? Not knowing what to say to answer him, Samara just stared back at him quietly. But when she didn't answer and several moments had passed, Tymothy knew she was still hesitating to admit what she truly wanted and why. It saddened him.

"I'm sorry I'd...really rather not be there," he found himself saying as he turned away from her. "It's nothing against you my lady I just...don't feel up for a celebration tomorrow so I'd rather work," he said, not bothering to keep the edge out of his voice as he said that before he finally walked away from her in fast, quick steps. And when he was completely gone and she could no longer see him, Samara sighed sadly. Bringing her knees up to her chest again, she felt her eyes welling up. She wasn't even going to get to see him tomorrow now because his mood was off or because he was too busy or whatever. The reason didn't matter. All that did matter was that she would not be seeing him anytime soon again.

And it hurt.

Really,

Really.

Bad.

A tear split from her eye and settled on her hand, the same one he had caressed not too long ago. Standing up quickly, Samara turned and ran to her room where she would cry her eyes out until the hour of her wedding tomorrow night with only one hope: Maybe if she cried enough…she'd forget about him.

**-o-O-o-**

Mounting the steps to their daughter's room later that night, Lord Shawn and Lady Gabriella had decided what they had to do. They had to confront their daughter about her feelings. They were sure she would be in her room right now, with only HIS name and thoughts on her mind and they had honestly had enough of her hiding her obvious love for this man. They had seen everything this evening while he had been here. How she had smiled at his arrival and looked miserable at his departure and cried right after that. And they were tired of seeing her pine and be miserable just because she thought they wouldn't understand her plight. They did understand and it was time they let her know that for themselves. Reaching her doorway, they took a deep breath while exchanging glances before they went in together, And they moment they did they caught her sobbing silently as she looked out of her window.

Having gotten their confirmation at how awful their child was feeling, Gabriella decided they had no time to waste in confronting her. "Sad you'll be leaving home soon?" she said from behind her daughter, watching how she jumped at the sound of her voice. Hastily wiping away her tears, Samara turned around and forced a smile on her lips. "No…." she said slowly. "I knew I was going to get married soon", she said, assuring them that was not why she was upset. They had told her well in advance.

Watching his daughter sadly, Shawn decided to get right to the matter his daughter was trying to hide. "Then why the tears?" he asked leaving her to bite her lip. Looking at them carefully, Samara wondered if she should tell them why she was actually crying. She had never actually hidden anything from her parents and she really didn't want to put up this pretence that she was happy when she wasn't anymore. It was obvious they could tell anyway. And besides…if she felt so badly NOW before she even lost her chance to be with Lord Scam…how was she going to handle a lifetime of suffering? Making up her mind and deciding to do this, Samara finally began to reveal the truth. "I just don't feel happy..." She said quietly.

"Something wrong dear? You not well?" Shawn said, pressing her for more. Shaking her head, Samara bit her lip and continued in a quiet whisper. "It isn't my health father...it's something else." Taking a step closer to her, Shawn looked at her urgingly. "What is it dear? Please tell me?" Biting her cheek hard, Samara stared at her parents as her heart beat hard and fast in her chest. While she didn't want to lie to them anymore she also had never, EVER gone against her parents before in all her life. And she knew her father liked Lord David as he was a good person and good for their family's business as he was a partner. And she knew her not wanting to marry him would hurt them but-

She also felt that she needed to tell them the truth. And it wasn't just because she didn't like to lie to her parents. It was mostly because she had never felt this way about anyone before. The way she felt about Lord Tymothy Scam was something special. The fact that she had only met him just four days ago yet her feelings were so strong for him and she wanted him so dearly proved to her that this was no small attraction. She was in love with him and she had to admit that to someone other than herself for it to do anything to help her situation. Taking a deep breath and putting what might happen next out of her mind, Samara focused on Tymothy Scam as she spoke. "Father I…" she took another deep breath before looking him in the eye shakily. "I'd really rather not marry lord David..."

"…Really?" Her father asked, coming closer to her and Samara gulped as she nodded her head, completely terrified at this moment. Crossing his arms over his chest, Shawn regarded his daughter's face with a look of rehearsed confusion on his face. "Why not?" he asked. "He's a nice man and you like him," he said, knowing Samara had always said David was a good man and had many skills and was well cultured and respected throughout the country. Biting her lip and nodding slowly, Samara took a deep breath before finally saying what her issue with marrying Lord David was. "But…" she said, shakily meeting her parents' eyes. "…I don't love him."

Seeing that they were finally getting somewhere with their child, Shawn and Gabriella glanced at each other with a hidden smile before Shawn went back to addressing Samara. "So…" he said slowly and calmly as he looked his daughter right in her pale, frightened face. "You don't want to marry because you're not in love?" he said, picking out his words very carefully. Chewing on her lower lip harder, Samara gulped down her dry throat before forcing her words out of her mouth knowing she had to speak them for them to be heard. "I never said I didn't want to marry…just not lord David..."

"Well who DO you want to marry then?" Shawn asked firmly. Pausing in her scared whispers, Samara froze on the spot while a blush just dawned her face at the thought of the man she really wanted to spend the rest of her life with and become the bride of. But still, she was unable to bring herself to say his name, something she had never been able to do out of reverence and respect. Trying to get around that, she bit her lip and mumbled shyly. "There is someone..."

"And does this someone have a name?" her mother asked, while her father looked at her with equal amounts of curiosity and his face. Knowing she had to say his name to let her parents know who he was, Samara blushed, lowering her eyes before quietly breathing out his name. "Lord Tymothy Scam...I want to marry him."

"Tymothy Scam?" her father asked, his voice confirming and Samara shook her head yes nervously while praying her father would understand. And after pausing for moment, a moment that seemed like eons to Samara, her farther finally smiled at her and said the words she had been thirsting to hear. "Well I'll talk to him tomorrow as is." Letting out a squeal of pure joy, Samara ran to her father and hugged him while mumbling thank you to him a million times.

Shawn let out a chuckle as he hugged her back for a moment before leaning her back. Smiling at all the joy on his daughter's face, never having seen her look this happy, Shawn knew he had done the right thing. Samara deserved to be with the man she wanted. "Get some rest now, dearest," he said, stroking her hair before he left. Then after giving her a hug of her own and smiling at her approvingly, soon her mother left as well.

And Samara was left alone with the brightest, happiest smile on her face while nervous butterflies flew around in her stomach over and over in circles. Her father was going to talk to him tomorrow and ask if he, if her Lord Tymothy Scam, wanted to marry her. Biting her lip, her face red from the extend of her blush, Samara didn't think she was going to get any sleep. Sitting on her bed she sighed while blushing continuously. No she knew she'd be up all night, tossing and turning, failing at sleeping while wondering what Lord Scam would say to her father tomorrow morning.

**-o-O-o-**

Standing outside of the grand mansion that he had tracked down as belonging to Lord Scam, Lord Shawn raised his hand and knocked on the door using the ornate knocker. Biting his cheek, he waited nervously for the door to open and his daughter's fate to be decided. He was here to ask the big question, was Lord Tymothy Scam in love with his daughter and would he marry her?

He had spoken to David earlier today who had graciously understood that Samara loved someone else and he was too nice to force her to marry him once he became aware of that. He had said though that in the event that Lord Scam didn't agree, he would be there to marry Samara. But remembering his daughter's saddened face at those words, Shawn knew her heart would break into two if Lord Scam didn't agree. It was because of that, that he hoped and prayed that Tymothy Scam would agree. For his daughter's sake and the sake of her love for him.

A moment later the door opened and Lord Shawn was left staring at the young man his daughter was madly in love with. And Shawn looked back at him, unable to help but stare because this was the man who had stolen his child's heart in a mere matter of days.

Surprised to find Samara's father at his door staring at him, Tymothy Scam's eyes widened as he wondered why he was here on the day of his daughter's wedding. Should he not be home right now taking care of last minute things? Pampering his daughter one last time before he gave her away? Then why was he here? It didn't make sense…unless. Tymothy felt his heart beat harder in his chest and hope fill him.

Unless, as he had been praying all night…there was no wedding and it had been cancelled. Eager to find out if that was it, Tymothy regarded Lord Shawn with a smile. "My Lord," he said bowing his head. "Please, come in." Shawn smiled back at Tymothy, liking how polite he was as he had bowed his head despite clearly being the wealthier man amongst them. Just a glance at his doorway revealed that. Nodding his head, he followed Tymothy inside.

As soon as he stepped in he was left in awe at how beautiful the mansion was and he could only imagine how happy his daughter would be here. "Excuse me, my lord," Tymothy said before disappearing for a moment and Shawn was left wide-eyed and touched when he himself brought him food and drink. He was already starting to see how he might have won his Samara's heart. Smiling and taking the tray, Shawn sat down. He took his time eating the food as he rehearsed in his head what to say to Lord Scam and how to approach this delicate matter.

When he finished the meal some time later and dabbed his mouth with a napkin, Tymothy stood up from his seat across him. "Can I get you something else my lord?" he asked politely, but Shawn shook his head. While he liked the respectful treatment he was being given and the chance to study Lord Scam's politeness, he knew he had to make haste with his question. His daughter was waiting anxiously at home. He could not delay at all. Taking a deep breath, he set the napkin on the empty tray and met eyes with Tymothy Scam. "I have come…" he started slowly. "To make a request of you."

Knowing he was willing to do anything for Samara's father as he was related to Samara, Tymothy smiled. "Anything my lord," he said before asking curiously. "What can I do for you?" Biting his cheek and choosing his words with great care, Shawn spoke softly. "Well...not me per say…." he said smiling nervously. "…But you could make my daughter happier than any girl that ever lived."

His attention now caught more than ever and knowing he would never, ever hesitate to do anything for Samara's happiness, Tymothy answered firmly. "...I'd do anything for your daughter, my lord." Smiling harder, his confidence growing as that was a favourable response, Shawn paused for a moment as he took a deep breath and finally let out his reason to be here. "So…" he said slowly as hope filled his eyes. "You'll marry her?"

When Lord Shawn's words hit his ears, Tymothy froze on the spot. His eyes went wide and his mouth slightly parted. Had he really said that? Had he heard Lord Shawn right? Staring at him in disbelief, Tymothy asked himself only one question in shock - Samara's father had come to his door to ask him to marry the girl he had loved since forever? Was it really, really true? The reality of this moment taking some time to settle in, Tymothy said nothing for a few moments as he tried to digest this.

Hearing his silence Shawn slowly began to get discouraged, and when he said nothing even though more than five moments had passed Shawn was about to let out a sigh and leave heartbroken when Tymothy finally spoke in a soft, gentle whisper. "I'd love to."

His eyes widening, Shawn looked at Tymothy with a small smile growing on his lips. "Did you say that you would…" he trailed off happily when he saw Lord Scam smiling a little smile, one filled with pure joy. And he no longer had to question him anymore to confirm what his answer was. Thanking the Lord a hundred times, Shawn quickly left to tell his daughter the good news.

Reaching home that night, Shawn quickly went up to where his daughter waited for his return. And all it took for her to know what had happened was that smile on his face after seeing which she nearly fainted from disbelief before she steadied herself and launched herself in her father's arms as she cried tears of indescribable joy.

**-o-O-o-**

Standing amongst the party at her home the next day, Samara smiled as she glanced at the people that had showed up to witness her engagement to Lord Tymothy Scam. Blushing as she thought about what was soon to happen, Samara couldn't help but have a grin burst out on her lips. She was getting engaged to the man she was in love with. God knew she couldn't be happier.

Hearing a sniffle next to her, Samara turned her head and saw Clovera standing there, puffy-eyed from all her tears and heartbrokenness. She had been miserable ever since last night, ever since she had learned that she was the one Lord Scam had rejected her for. Feeling bad, Samara was about to attempt comforting her friend when Clover pointed an accusing finger at her and spoke in a whiney voice. "You just had to steal him didn't you?" she sobbed. "You already had one gorgeous guy for yourself! It isn't fair Samara!" Samara bit her lip guiltily while Alexandria scolded Clovera to stop whining about something so ridiculous and told her that she didn't steal anything because it was obvious Lord Scam loved her or else he would have said no to the match. But as she stood there Samara knew she was slightly worried about that exact thing, What if…what if Lord Tymothy Scam had just said yes to her father because he felt bad saying no?

Frowning sadly, Samara knew that her father had gone right to his door and Tymothy Scam seemed too nice a man to reject someone like that. So it was possible that he had just said yes to the match to keep her father's honour. That thought had been on her mind since last night, slightly taking away from her otherwise, total feeling of euphoria. And because of that, she knew she wanted to talk to him before the ceremony and make sure he wasn't getting into something he did not want. Because she just wanted everything to be perfect for them and nothing more. She wanted to have no doubts nor hesitations between them. She wanted him to be certain about who he was marrying and about to spend the rest of his life with as she was. And for that, she had to ask him the question. Did he love her or was it just respect?

As if right on cue he entered the ballroom and Samara felt her heart flip around in her chest at how handsome he looked, even more than ever as he talked to her parents. And for one moment she felt like letting go of her question but she scolded herself and told herself this had to be asked. Wondering how to isolate him before they made their pledge to each other, Samara got an idea and swiftly turned to Alexandria and asked her to ask Lord Scam to meet her in the rose gardens.

Hearing her Clovera sniffled again. "You just can't wait to have him all to yourself can you?" Blushing, Samara looked down and Alexandria helped her out by saying that she was sure she just wanted to ask him something before the ceremony. Mumbling a thanks to Alexandria Samara moved to head to the gardens. Stopping at the exit to the ballroom, Samara turned and watched Alexandria already talking to him. And when she saw him look over to where she stood, she blushed and swiftly walked away knowing he would follow her.

Seeing Samara disappear into the gardens, Tymothy couldn't help but wonder what it was that she wanted to say to him. Smiling curiously he followed behind her and it didn't take him long to catch up as soon he found her standing in the centre of the rose garden waiting for him. Tymothy froze on the spot, unable to help but stare at her as she saw how beautiful she looked dressed in her dark, navy gown and intricate pearl jewellery, a blush on her face as she looked back at him. And he could feel nothing but joy in his heart at this moment. But when he suddenly noticed how she was playing with her hands nervously and looking guilty, he couldn't help but worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, not understanding why she looked upset. They were getting engaged today and he had thought she would be happy. Suddenly getting a sinking feeling this may have to do with her last fiancée, Tymothy was about to crumble because the thought of her having feelings for another man just killed him, when she suddenly spoke with a small sigh. "I just...wanted to ask you something my lord." Pausing on the spot, Tymothy waited for her to continue with bated breath.

Taking a deep breath. Samara looked at him with sad, guilty eyes as she spoke her mind to him. "Do you...really want to marry me? I mean...I know I somewhat put you on the spot and that wasn't fair to you," she blushed before continuing. "I mean I know how...I feel about you..." Her blushed darkened, resembling the roses behind her. "But that doesn't mean you have to feel the same." Staring at her, Tymothy felt relief spread throughout his heart. This wasn't about David. This wasn't about David at all.

"I mean...you're the most wealthy, charming and...handsome man around…" she said, continuing, never seeing how he was smiling. "You could have anyone," she mumbled. Not saying anything, Tymothy watched her babble on and on about how wonderful he was. She was so adorable with her endless compliments that he didn't even deserve and that blush on her face, And as she kept going on, Tymothy found her too much to resist. Moving slowly, he took a step closer to her and lightly wrapped his arms around her waist before he leaned her closer, tilting her towards him.

And then he kissed her.

Samara went stiff and her eyes flew open as she felt his lips moving against hers softly. The first kiss in her life with the love of her life. Her face went hot and red and soon her knees started shaking as she felt his mouth caressing hers while his chest slightly touched her own. And soon she found herself mentally thanking Lord Scam for holding her because she honestly felt like her legs were completely useless right now. When he eventually pulled away, Samara stared up at him in surprise with her heart beating loud enough for her to be able to hear it in her eardrums. And slowly she raised her hand and touched her mouth, slightly shaking as she blushed.

Slowly cupping her cheek, Tymothy looked her in the eye as he spoke teasingly. "Does that...answer your question?" he asked, smirking. Hearing his words, Samara's lips burst into a smile of utmost joy. Smiling back at her, Tymothy felt tempted to kiss her again and he pulled her face closer to his own and gently covered her lips with his all over again. Blushing even harder, Samara sealed her eyes, completely in bliss as she moved to kiss him back only to be interrupted by the sound of her mother's voice from behind her. "I'm sorry I'm going to have to interrupt. All the guests are here," she said.

Springing apart, they both saw her smirk and looked away from each other, embarrassed at having been caught. Flustered, Samara nodded her head towards her mother and moved to follow her mother only to have Tymothy take her hand. Blushing and ignoring her mother's smirk widen, Samara held his hand tighter as they both followed after her mother into the ballroom.

Soon they stood facing the many hundreds of guests that had showed up along with her friends and family as he slipped her engagement ring on her finger and formally made her his. Applause broke out throughout the ballroom and took moments to fade away. Then music began to play and smiling harder than she ever had, Samara shyly led her soon-to-be husband to the dance floor. Starting the waltz as he gripped her waist with one hand and held her right hand in his left, Tymothy suddenly paused and just stared at her.

Blushing at his stare and wondering why he had stopped as everyone was waiting for them to share their dance, Samara asked him what was wrong in a questioning whisper. "What's wrong?" she said. Smiling back at her, Tymothy shook his head. "Nothing, I just…" he ran his fingers through her hair and looked at her lovingly. "I just can't wait to marry you, my lady." Blushing at his words, Samara nodded her head before biting her lip. "Me too, my lord," she whispered shyly as she blushed and rested her head on his shoulder as they began to dance. And feeling her snuggled up against him like that, feeling her lips smiling against his shoulder as she held him close, Tymothy had only one word for the feeling he was feeling right now…

Complete.

**-o-O-o-**

"I want to show you something, my lady," Tymothy said, smiling at his betrothed who was walking next to him down the cobbled path leading to the coach that was waiting for them. Smiling back at him, Samara rested her head on his shoulder. "What is it, my lord?" she asked curiously.

Reaching the coach, Tymothy opened the door for her and smiled harder. "Come on, I'll show you." Staring at him with even more curiosity, Samara bit her lip in excitement before she nodded her head and got in. Once she had sat down and the coachman had started driving, Samara turned to Tymothy and looked at him hopefully. "Now can you tell me?" she asked and Tymothy chuckled at how much like a curious little rabbit she was. In his eyes that only made her more adorable. Wanting to see her looking at him with those hyper eyes for a while longer, Tymothy smirked deciding to withhold the information of what he wanted to show her from her until they reached. "Not yet, you'll see," he said, leaving her to pout but he only chuckled as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer to himself as compensation for the wait. Blushing when she felt her head touch his chest, Samara smiled, forgetting about her curiosity just for now as she snuggled into his warmth and sighed in content.

The coach came to an elegant halt some hours later and once it had stopped, Samara began her questioning session again. Looking at Tymothy with unbearable curiosity Samara slightly pulled his arm. "Now can you tell me? Please?" she asked but he only chuckled, opening the door and stepping outside before he lifted her out of the coach and put her on her own feet. Not letting her see where they had come just yet, Tymothy held her in his embrace, blocking her from seeing what was behind him as he smiled at her and spoke with excitement in his voice.

"Since we're marrying in just five days, I thought it would be nice to get you…" his smile widened as he paused. Eager to know what this was about, Samara placed her hands on his chest and leaned closer to him as she looked at him with desperation on her face. She never did like having things kept from her knowledge. "What? What is it?" she asked urgently.

Smiling even more, Tymothy stroked her long hair before continuing. "Since we're soon to wed I thought I might as well get you acquainted to your new home." Her eyes widening, Samara slightly clutched his shirt. "M-my new….home?" she asked softly leaving him to chuckle softly. Deciding to just show her what he meant, he took her out of his embrace and carefully began turning her around slowly. "You're going to live with me after marriage my lady…" He said, unable to help his grin at that thought as he kept turning her. "I thought you should at least see where we will live."

When he stopped moving her body and Samara looked straight ahead she found her jaw dropping at what she saw. "Oh my…." she gasped as she stared at the beautiful, expansive, impressive mansion that stood before her. Her eyes roaming the building she took in beauty of the architecture and quickly decided that from the large, lovely, circular windows that looked out onto the large lawn and perfect harmony she felt just looking at this mansion, that she had never seen a more wonderful, beautiful place anywhere. Not even in her dreams., and that was what left her standing there staring wide-eyed at the building before her without the will to look away. Impressed with her speechlessness, and taking that as an indication that she liked his home, Tymothy placed his hands on his shoulders from behind and spoke against her ear. "I take it, you like it, my lady?"

Feeling her nod and remain speechless, he smiled against her earlobe before speaking in a gentle whisper filled with joy. "Do you wish to see it from inside?" he asked leaving her to nod her head rigorously as she turned and smiled at him with nothing but clear excitement in her eyes. Smiling at her again, and taking her arm, Tymothy led her to the large oak door at the entrance and opened it for her. Once she stepped inside, he held her hand tighter in his own, lacing his fingers with hers and he commenced a slow, detailed tour of her soon-to-be home, skipping only one room. The one that now stored the large, antique mirror that once had been in his bedchamber.

An hour later, when the tour came to an end, Tymothy turned to Samara and smiled nervously. "Well, what do you think, my lady?" he asked. Beaming, Samara twirled around before letting out a joyful giggle and looking him in the eye. "It's beautiful, my lord," she said, honesty everywhere in her tone. "It's more than beautiful…" she said smiling even harder when he looked beyond happy at her response. Glad that she had liked his home, Tymothy smiled for a moment before stepping closer to her and taking her hands in his. Knowing he wanted this house to be everything she wanted and not have anything left out that her heart desired, he looked at her seriously. "Is there anything missing?" he asked. "Is there anything that isn't here that you would like?"

Feeling her heart fluttering at how much he cared for her wants and needs, Samara shook her head. "No, everything is how I want…" she stopped suddenly and bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him the one thing that was missing from his mansion that she would love to have. Having heard her trailed off and not finished her sentence, and seeing hesitation on her face, Tymothy released one of her hands and tilted her chin up with his index finger. Making her look into his eyes, he spoke in a soft, urging whisper. "Speak your mind, my love," he said and Samara blushed like a tomato before nodding her head. Biting her lip and hesitating but only for a moment because she knew he wouldn't mind she spoke. "Well...I'd like a rose garden, it's my favourite place in my home," she said.

Seeing his questioning look, and knowing he was wondering why that place was her favourite as that had not been brought up in all the time they had been spending together, Samara decided to just tell him. "That's where I used to go to think about you," she said, blushing hot when she saw how his eyes widened and a smirk formed on his lips.

Clearing her throat nervously, she looked down still blushing profusely. "I love your ballroom by the way," she said, in a desperate attempt to stop blushing. Looking at her with loving eyes, Scam nodded. "We'll have our parties there," he said as he stepped towards her again. And soon her had lifted her chin up and stood staring at her face. Seeing him just staring at her, Samara gulped as her blush came rushing back. "…What?" she asked, lost as to why he was looking at her like that. Had she said something to displease him?

Smiling harder, Scam shook his head. "Nothing…" he said letting her know nothing was wrong and his staring at her had to do with another matter. Seeing her looking at him with curious eyes, he continued. "It's just that…" his smile widened even more on his lips as he held her a little closer to himself. "You're so beautiful I almost want to have a portrait painted of you just so I can see you like this all the time." Blushing, but letting out a giggle, Samara looked at him pointedly. "So you can always see me young, my lord?" she said teasingly.

Shaking his head, Tymothy looked her in the eye. "No not always young…but happy," he said and soon a smile erupted on Samara's lips as she looked up at him with awe and love in her gaze. "I'll always be happy," she said honestly, knowing it was true. "I'm marrying you, my lord," she said before blushing at her own words and quickly hugging him to hide her face in his chest.

Smiling, Tymothy rubbed her back and held her tight as she began mumbling against his chest. "We do need a portrait though, a family portrait," she said and Tymothy secretly grinned at the thought of them having a family before he leaned her back and nodded his head towards her. "You should come again one day my lady, and I'll be glad to get one made." Nodding her head slowly, Samara blushed lightly knowing he hadn't quite understood where she had been going with her words. Deciding to try again she bit her cheek and whispered gently. "Yes but I mean a family portrait… you know with…" her blush darkened as she looked down at her feet and mumbled out the last part. "Our family."

Getting her drift and feeling his heart race, Tymothy lifted her head up before smiling at her and speaking with utmost joy in his tone. "You mean...children?" he said, leaving her to blush hard but she nodded because that was what she had meant. Smiling harder, Tymothy wrapped his arms around her waist and looked her in the eye. "Well, what do you want my lady?" he asked gently. "A daughter or son?" Blushing still, Samara bit her cheek in thought before answering him. "I…I want a little girl," she said timidly. His eyes showing happiness, Tymothy nodded his head in approval. He had always wanted a little angel to protect and raise. "How about twins?" he said, knowing he fancied the idea of twins even more.

"I'd love twins," Samara said, smiling back at him before she bit her cheek in thought. She remained in thought for a few moments before she spoke excitedly. "We could name one Natalia," she said, smiling at the name she had always wanted to give her daughter, if she had one. "That sounds royal.." she said, her eyes slightly glazing over in joy. Nodding his head in approval again, Tymothy tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as he spoke. "And we could name the other Ava…" he smiled harder. "That sounds humble," he said, knowing he had never forgotten where he had come from and how he was no prince. Something she would never know. Biting her lip to contain her smile, Samara nodded slowly. "I love them," she whispered, satisfied. "Natalia and Ava, sound perfect." She said, her smile now too big to hide.

Unable to stop himself, Tymothy tightened his grip on his fiancée and smirked. "Now we just need them to arrive," he said gruffly leaving her to blush horridly. Raising a hand, Samara hit his chest lightly as she continued blushing at his words. Tempted by how pretty she looked at this moment, even more so thanks to that blush on her face, Tymothy moved to take her in his arms and kiss her only to be held back by her hand. Blushing hotly because she knew what he was about to do, she looked up at him and bit her cheek. "I have to go, my lord," she said, knowing it was getting late and staying with her betrothed till the wee hours of the night would look terribly bad to anyone who heard.

Letting out a sigh and biting his cheek in frustration, Tymothy gently traced her cheek. "So soon?" he asked, sadness in his tone. Samara bit her lip sadly and nodded her head. Seeing him frown sadly and feeling bad at that, Samara reached out and held his face. Looking him in the eye she smiled. "My lord, I will be here forever in just five days," she said, blushing and nodding his head Tymothy let her leave. But as she left him and rode off in her coach, he felt himself longing to see her all over again. It was like he could not bear to be away from her for even one moment and it was that feeling which led him close his eyes and use his powers to transport to her mansion, just so he could see her before she fell asleep one more time.

A few hours later, Samara smiled to herself as she tiptoed through the hallway to go into her room to not be detected by her parents. A happy sigh left her as she paused and remembered the wonderful time she had had in Lord Tymothy's home. And standing there now, she knew his home already seemed like it was more her own home than the one she had grown up in.

Blushing heatedly at how in love she was, Samara was about to quickly slip into her room and dream about her love when a gasp left her as she felt someone grab her wrist. Afraid that it was her parents here to berate her on coming back so late, Samara turned around reluctantly while preparing an explanation for them in her head only to gasp again when she saw who was standing there.

Her betrothed, Lord Tymothy Scam.

Blinking her eyes rapidly, Samara wondered if she was dreaming. How had he gotten here so fast? And how had he gotten into this hallway without being seen by the guards outside? The same guards that she had had to plead for them not to tell her parents she had not returned yet? Confused, she twisted her wrist in his grip. "My…my lord?" she said curiously, wanting answers for what she had been thinking. But he only smiled at her and spoke excitedly not even seeing the curiosity on her face. "I just wanted to wish you goodnight and remind you to come and get your portrait made tomorrow," he said, before he smiled hard. "And I have another surprise for you as well."

Nodding her head quickly, Samara was about to ask him how he had gotten here. But when he drew closer and kissed her passionately, drawing her up against his form and holding her tight, that thought just melted away into goo with the rest of her.

And she was left curious no more.

**-o-O-o-**

The next morning, Samara sat smiling as she felt her beloved Tymothy's arms resting around the base of her neck from behind her while the portrait maker, finished up their portrait. "All done my lord, lady," he said a moment later, and Samara got up immediately to see it. Her eyes landing on the painting that sat at the artist's easel, Samara gasped taking it all in. It was so perfect. There she sat in the painting, as she had been just a moment before with one of her hands in her lap and the other crossed over her chest, draped in her favourite pale, pink, gown and across the string of pearls she wore at her neck while she held one of the hands of her darling betrothed and smiled brightly like the sun. And he looked just as handsome as he always did as he stood behind her smiling in the work.

"Do you like it?" she heard Tymothy ask from behind her, and a grin burst at her lips as she turned and nodded happily. "It's exquisite," she breathed out still in awe. Smiling at her, Tymothy paid the artist more than double the cost for his services as his Samara had been pleased. And once the artist left after bowing before them both, he turned to her and smiled again. "Remember I said I'd have a surprise for you?" he asked, and Samara nodded eagerly knowing that had kept her up all night. Smiling harder, he took her arm. "Well come on, let me show you what it is," he said, unable to keep his excitement out of his tone as she led her along to the glass doorways that led out into the garden. Reaching them, he stopped for a moment and imagined her reaction before he smiled and threw open the doors for her, letting her see his surprise.

And when her eyes landed on the rows and rows of pure, blood-red roses covering every hedge, every vine, and every acre of the enormous garden she had seen just yesterday, instead covered with petunias and chrysanthemums, Samara looked up at him in complete and utter surprise. "How…" she breathed out, still in shock. "How did you get this done so quickly?' she asked, knowing it had barely been ten hours since she had been here last yet he had granted her wish for a garden of only roses. Smiling at her, Tymothy spoke in a happy whisper. " You wanted it didn't you?" he asked, stepping closer to her and taking her hand in his. Giving it a squeeze he smiled harder. "So I made it happen."

Blinking slowly, Samara kept staring at him, still curious as to how he had managed this but soon he was tugging on her arm impatiently again and leading her somewhere else. "I have another surprise for you, come on," he said before breaking into a slight run and Samara followed him while carefully clutching her skirts not to fall. Her curiosity mounted with each step they took on the grand staircase and soon he had stopped her outside a differently shaded, wooden, caramel-coloured door. Holding her hand tighter, he gripped the doorknob and smiled at her. "Ready, my lady?" he asked before pulling open the door and rushing her inside.

And the moment she set foot into the room, Samara was left gasping again as she stared at the lilac room painted in streaks of lavender streaming in rays reminding her of the sky sometimes when a heavy storm had just parted, and the hyacinthia printed wall covering that covered the wall around four-paned windows covered with silky drapes alternating between lilac and white with lavender ties while a milky coloured chandelier hung above her and a soft, fluffy carpet lay on the floor beneath her feet. Holding a hand to her heart, Samara walked deeper into the room only to have her eyes go wide all over again when she saw two cribs sitting in the centre of the room.

Now having some idea where this was going, Samara glanced over at Tymothy from over her shoulder to find him smiling, giving her the confirmation she was looking for. Grinning in joy, she raced over to the cribs and looked at them closely, And her heart nearly melted inside her when she saw they had a name each inscribed on their headboards. "Natalia….and Ava," she read, tears of joy nearly forming in her eyes as she turned and looked back at him. "It's…it's perfect," she managed to whisper while staring at him in awe. Smiling, Tymothy came over to where she stood, clutching one of the sides of Natalia's crib, and put his arms around her. "Truly?' he asked, smiling harder.

Resting her hands on his chest, Samara nodded slowly, still breathing deeply and barely able to speak from her state of awed speechlessness. "I love them, they're beautiful," she said before reaching up and holding the side of his face. Looking at him with love-filled, thankful eyes, she smiled deeply. "Thank you so much, my lord," she whispered. Grinning back at her, Tymothy stayed that way, just staring at all the happiness on her face at what he had done before he found himself leaning into her. And in the next moment they were sharing a sweet kiss. Smiling against his lips, Samara blushed as she began to pull away a moment later, but was left gasping when he held her face and continued kissing her.

Ignoring her gasp and wanting to keep going, Tymothy held her tight against his body as he kissed her harder, pressing his lips against her more deeply and pushing his body into hers. Blushing fervently, Samara let him kiss her even though he was stealing all her breath because it felt too good to pull away. But when she felt his hands slightly tracing up her back and pulling at the ties of her dress as he flickered his tongue across her lower lip and nearly bit into it, Samara pulled away from him breathlessly and shook her head knowing they couldn't do this. Not yet. It wasn't right.

"Just four more days my lord," she breathed out, blushing avidly at the dark look of desire that was swivelling in his eyes because she could feel it in her heart as well. How much she wanted to become one with him. But it had to wait, she knew it had to wait until their wedding night. Hearing him let out a growl, Samara looked up at him to find him staring at her in a tormented way.

Letting out a sigh, Tymothy ran a hand through his hair to calm his nerves as he kept looking at her thirstily. "I can't stop thinking about you for a minute, four days is torture my dear Samara," he muttered leaving her to blush hotter than ever as she nervously played with her hands. "I should go then…." she said, knowing if she stayed now she just might give in to what both of them so desperately wanted. "So much to do for the wedding…." She sad quickly before moving to sneak past him but she gasped when he grabbed her wrist and drew her back against his chest before kissing her again.

Raising her hands to his chest, Samara moved to push him away but soon melted into the kiss and let him caress her lips with his own one more time. Breaking the kiss when he was out of air, Tymothy smiled as he picked Samara up by her waist and held her close to himself. Staring at her in the eyes, he looked at her honestly. "You do know you're all I want, right, my lady?" he said as he tightened his hold on her and looked at her more seriously. "I don't need an extravagant wedding. I'd take you for my wife as is."

Blushing at his words, Samara nodded as she smiled at him. "I know my lord but…" she bit her lip and sighed. "But my father and mother have always planned this to be a big day." Understanding her instantly, Tymothy put his wants and desires in the back of his mind as he set her down on her feet and let her leave. But he couldn't stop himself from moving to a room that would let him see her. Not wasting time to unlock it, he walked right through the heavy wood and made it just in time to watch her with the most longing eyes from the room's window until she finally got in her coach and left. Sighing, Tymothy remained at the window, only moving again when he heard a familiar voice speaking behind him. "Well she makes you happy, I can see that," it said, and Tymothy turned around to see that The Devil had formed himself in his mirror again. Smirking at Tymothy, the Devil pointed his blivet at him. "But was she worth your soul?" he asked, looking at him pointedly.

Not needing even a moment to think over his response as Samara was his whole, entire world, Tymothy nodded towards him. "She's worth every bit of my soul," he said determinedly. "I'd have even give up my life had you asked for it in return," he said, the seriousness in his tone proving he meant every word. Looking the Devil in the eyes, Tymothy finished firmly. "I'd do anything for her without a moment's hesitation." The Devil nodded his head slowly and Tymothy forgot about Samara for now as he looked at the devil with focused, alert eyes, knowing the appearance of the Devil meant he had a new soul to capture. "Anyway, what am I to do for you today?" he asked.

Looking back at him seriously, the Devil stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes and chanting something. And a moment later, Tymothy was holding an ancient looking sword, a harpe in his right hand and a blade-fitted cestus was strapped onto his left arm. Wondering why he had been equipped this way, much heavier than ever, Tymothy looked at the Devil questioningly. Seeing his curios look, the Devil spoke seriously. "Your job this time will not be easy. It will be a real challenge and may take quite some time." Looking at Tymothy thoughtfully, he pointed at the weapon he had given him, with his blivet. "That is to better your chances of surviving against Lucedio."

"Lucedio?"Tymothy repeated, questioningly. Sighing, the Devil nodded. "Yes, he's a nasty one. He plans on escaping hell and freeing himself of my clutches." Tymothy's eyes went wide, not knowing it was even possible to escape hell permanently. "You…you can escape hell?" he asked slowly, still surprised.

The Devil smirked. "Why do you think I need you to bring me souls back in less than an hour once they escape, boy? I don't have that requirement for nothing." Nodding his head, Tymothy tucked this new information about his job in his memory as he transported himself to the place he sensed the soul had been roaming last. For some reason he had a feeling, he was going to need this information later. Some time later… but he didn't know why.

**-o-O-o-**

Sitting with her friends while a maid waved her hair in ringlets and set them up so that they would be curled for tomorrow morning, Samara bit her lip as her worry continued growing. Just as it had been for a while now because despite their wedding being so close, Lord Scam had not been around. The last time she had seen him had been two days ago when he had shown her his home. And tomorrow it was October 31st, their wedding day and she had waited all day for him to come over to her home and tell her how happy he was, to tell her he was okay and everything was fine…but it hadn't happened.

And the fact that she hadn't seen him in forty-eight, nearly seventy-two hours now as she was just about ready to go to bed as soon as her hair was done, made her apprehensive. Where had he gone and why? Samara knew he was always around her and so this extended absence of his just made her feel something was up, maybe that something had happened and she didn't even want to try to figure out what for fear that the answer would devastate her.

Drawing in a deep breath, Samara decided to stop thinking about it. She trusted her Lord Scam and knew he wouldn't let her down….At least she hoped he wouldn't. Feeling doubt flicker in her heart, Samara desperately sought a change of thought and listened to what her friends were talking about to help her do that. "I just think it's strange…" she heard Clovera say and out of curiosity, Samara turned to her. "What is?" she asked. Biting her lip, Clovera seemed to hesitate for a moment before whispering. "Lord Scam." Blinking her eyes, Samara felt a frown form on her lips. Why was Clovera saying that about her betrothed? The man she was marrying in less than twenty-four hours? "What do you mean?" Samara asked, wanting answers while hoping whatever Clovera meant, it wasn't a jab at her beloved.

Shrugging her shoulders, Clovera looked at her in an expectant way. "What, you didn't notice Samara?" she asked and Samara felt her frown grow deeper. Just where was Clovera going with this? Getting annoyed with Clovera's stalling, Alexandria waved a hand at her before speaking irritably, "If you have something to say, just say it already, would you?" Nodding her head from next to Alexandria, Britania also chimed in. "Yes, stop being so dramatic about everything and just speak your mind."

Letting out a huff at Alexandria and Britania's words, Clovera crossed her arms over her chest. "He seemed to come out of no where." Blinking her eyes, Alexandria looked at her in confusion. "Who did?" Letting out a sigh and muttering under her breath as if they were deliberately not getting what she was talking about, Clovera looked at Alexandria, Britania and Samara pointedly. "Lord Tymothy Scam." Samara felt her breath catch in her throat at Clovera's words. She already didn't like where this was going.

Raising her hands dramatically, Clovera continued. "He seriously came out of nowhere," she said repeating her words as her eyes narrowed with doubt. "It's almost…odd. I mean he just showed up at a ball one day and I have to say, I had never heard about any Lord Scam before that day." Seeing her friends' eyes widen, Clovera knew she was right and she looked at them with a small smirk on her lips. "None of you knew him from before, did you?" Rolling her eyes, Alexandria shook her head before speaking in a tired tone. "Honestly Clovera, would you just give it up?" Glaring at her blonde friend, Alexandria shook her head again. "There is a limit to jealousy, end it already." Ignoring Clovera's scowl, Alexandria smiled at Samara. "Besides…" she said, now grinning. "I'm sure Samara knew him from before, they had such a connection."

Biting her cheek, Samara knew that wasn't true. She didn't, she had not known Lord Scam before that day. No her feelings for him had really developed in just four days and that was it. There had been no prior meetings, no secret attraction, nothing of the sort. In fact, she hadn't even known his name before that day when they had met just like Clovera was saying.

Biting her cheek harder, Samara decided to say nothing to her friends about that and simply dismissed her doubt. Why did it matter if she just fell for him in only four days? What did it matter if they formed a bond faster than fast? She loved him, she wanted him and that was all that mattered to her. Nodding her head to herself determinedly, Samara confirmed that thought. No she didn't even want to think something was off about him, the man she was marrying tomorrow. She didn't even want that thought to cross her mind.

Clovera waved a hand dismissingly, before speaking with her nose up in the air. "You can think whatever you wish but I still find it weird how such a rich man went unnoticed for so long." Looking at them again with questioning eyes, she pointed at them. "Don't any of you find that…I don't know…awkward?" Getting tired of Clovera's never-ending picking on her Tymothy, Samara sighed, before looking at the blonde pointedly. "Some things are just meant to be Clovera." She shrugged. "I mean I was engaged to lord David for a year and the wedding didn't happen and then…" a small smile grew on her lips. "I met Lord Scam and we're getting married." Her smile widened as she regarded her best friend. "Maybe we're just meant to be."

Rolling back her shoulders, Clovera nodded. "Maybe, but I still find it odd though." Placing a thoughtful hand on her chin she paused for a moment before speaking again accusingly. "You know…I can't even remember hearing of a Scam mansion before and I have been to that area where it is."

Sighing in exasperation, tired of Clovera's incrimination of Tymothy, Samara threw her a glare. "Would you stop it?" she said before looking at the blonde with clear hurt on her features. Please?" she said, knowing she had already not seen him in a long while and Clovera saying these things, and hinting that he might not be legitimate only made her feel worse. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't need this. Not being able to trust that Clovera would stop at her request, Samara stood up and moved to leave. "Where are you going Samara?" Clover asked. Not looking back at her, Samara glared before mumbling quickly as she walked away. "To bed, goodnight. See you all tomorrow at my wedding."

Quickly walking up the stairs to her bedroom, Samara paused at the top of the stairway and sighed. She knew she had left her friends like that to not worsen her doubts right now, but she couldn't deny that she was still caught up in wondering where he had disappeared to. Hoping it was no where bad and knowing she wanted happy thoughts on the night before her wedding, Samara continued to her room in slow steps. Reaching her door, she stopped and sighed again knowing she was still hoping he'd show up right now. But she knew it was out of the question. He was not supposed to see her the night before the wedding, it was bad luck. Biting her cheek to keep her sadness from making her cry, Samara just hoped he'd be at their wedding tomorrow at least. And she would see him then.

Having sorted out her thoughts, Samara was about to go into her room when she was suddenly pulled back by her upper arm. Whipping around to see who it was who was stopping her, Samara was left gasping when she saw her Tymothy Scam standing there before her. He wasn't supposed to be here. No he had had all day to visit but now it was night and he should not be here. Why was he here? He had to know this was bad luck for their marriage. Looking at him questioningly, Samara whispered. "My lord what are you doing he-"

Samara's eyes widened when he cut her off by pulling her into his embrace and kissing her roughly. Holding her flush against him, Tymothy growled low in his throat as he slammed his mouth against hers over and over, kissing her again and again because he had missed her like crazy. He had not seen her in nearly three whole days. The job he had been giving by the Devil had taken him a whole day and he had spent the next one and nearly another, just sleeping out of exhaustion and need to heal himself from the attacks he had suffered. And all throughout that, he had missed his Samara beyond words. Leaning her body against her bedroom door, Tymothy tried to make up for the time he had lost with Samara, by continuing to kiss her endlessly.

Feeling her heard nearly bursting from lack of breath, Samara only waited a moment longer before she raised her hands and pushed him back, breaking the kiss. Holding him back with her hands, Samara took deep breaths, recovering her breathing before she looked at him in concern. "Where have you been for the last two days?" she asked, looking at him sadly. "I missed you and mother and father, and so many people wanted to talk to you about the wedding. And you weren't there."

Sighing sadly, Tymothy gently stroked her hair and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry my love, I had work." Her face falling at his words, Samara looked at him heartbrokenly. "And what work is this that's more important to you than me, my lord?" she whispered, all her hurt in her tone. Staring back at her speechlessly, Tymothy felt his heart clench in his chest out of his sadness. He couldn't even tell her where he'd been and what job he had been doing, And it was always going to be that way. Now and for the rest of their lives together. Samara could never, ever know his secret.

Knowing she needed an answer, nonetheless as she was looking at him pointedly, he shook his head in disagreement to her words, before tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Nothing…" he said, looking at her strongly. "Is more important to me than you Samara, never will be." He said, pulling her in his arms and hugging her to his chest. "Besides I'm here now, aren't I?" he said, not wanting to dwell on his absence any more.

Smiling against his chest, Samara nodded her head because he was here to see her. Snuggling into him for a moment and absorbing him in her senses, Samara stepped back and sighed. "But you're not supposed to be here, it's bad luck," she said, biting her lower lip in worry. Letting out a small chuckle, Tymothy looked at her with a smirk playing at his lips. "I don't believe in bad luck Samara," he said smugly before drawing closer to her again and looking her in the eye. "Not when you're near me," he said before dipping his head down and kissing her again.

Pulling away from him a quick moment later, Samara shook her head. "But I do," she said sternly. She'd be damned if she let anything curse their marriage on her watch. Remembering another matter, Samara blushed softly. "Besides…" she said, remembering the lecture she had received from her mother after she had come back home late that day and he had also been with her in her hallway. "Mother told me not to get too…." Her blush darkened. "Too close before we marry." She said, leaving his eyes to widen. Ignoring his face because it tempted her all the time, Samara moved and simply kissed him on the cheek before stepping back towards her open door. "Night my lord. I'll see you tomorrow," she said curtly before going into her bedchamber and locking the door behind her.

Staring at the door that cut him off from her, Tymothy let out a frustrated growl. He really couldn't handle this. He just…he just wanted to be near her. He just wanted to love and touch his darling Samara. He had been waiting and waiting for years and he honestly…He honestly couldn't take it much longer. It was torture. Pure, unhampered torture. Waiting for a few moments, Tymothy found that his thoughts still remained on the same spot. And unable to resist his desires this time, Tymothy focused for a moment before simply walking right through her door, the lock useless in stopping him.

Ending up in the other side, Tymothy looked around the room for the object of his desires and found Samara laying on her bed, already breathing relaxed in sleep. His eyes widened and his mouth slightly parted in awe at how beautiful she looked with the rays of the moonlight illuminating her angelic face. And before he could stop himself or even think to he had gone over to her bed, leaned over her body and claimed her lips in a fiery kiss. Feeling the pressure against her lips in her sleep, Samara snapped her eyes open and let out a muffled gasp when she saw that it was Tymothy again kissing her. Her eyes remaining wide, Samara didn't kiss him back as she remained too shocked and clueless over how he had gotten into her bedroom. She clearly remembered locking her door behind her. Then how had he done this?

Wanting to ask him that question, Samara tried to pull away and ask but he wouldn't stop kissing her. Feeling her mind go fuzzy from his kisses, Samara let out small moan as she waited for him to finish because her struggling against him was doing nothing. Eventually he did pull away and when he did, Samara looked at him questioningly and immediately asked him her question. "How...how did you get inside, my lord?" she asked, all her shock evident in her voice and Tymothy bit his cheek, mentally cursing at himself for his lack of control as he realized his mistake. Of course Samara would wonder how he had walked into her room when she herself had locked it to keep him out.

Knowing he couldn't tell her the truth, he smiled at her gently and ran his fingers through her hair affectionately. "There is nothing that can keep me away from you." Nodding her head slowly, Samara assumed that he had a talent for picking locks because really, what else could it be? Blushing as she realized how urgent his need must be as a man as refined as him had picked a lock to get to her, Samara looked at him shyly. "You should leave my lord," she mumbled timidly. But he only shook his head in denial, not wanting to do anything of that sort.

Seeing how the moon's light was making the skin at her neck seem even softer, Tymothy leaned closer and descended his head down to her throat as he placed a trail of slow, lazy kisses there. Her face growing hot, Samara bit her lip to keep in the urge to moan out his name. She had to stop him now before she lost all self-control. "For me?" she pleaded softly. When he paused in his kisses and looked up at her, Samara looked at him hopefully. "My lord, tomorrow is our wedding day… Can't you wait just a few more hours? For your Samara?" she said and hearing her last words Tymothy stopped himself.

Clearly it was important to her they marry first. And anything that was important to her was more than important to him. Making up his mind, Tymothy nodded before letting out a long sigh. "Alright, tomorrow then," he said, smirking and watching her blush at what he had hinted in his words for tomorrow before he chuckled to himself and left her for the night.

And when he left, Samara had a small urge to check the lock to see if it had been destroyed but she decided against it, too drained from his kisses and too happy to want to do anything else but sleep and dream of tomorrow. Smiling to herself, Samara laid down and closed her eyes as she dreamt about their wedding. It was going to be wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Just like their lives together would be. Smiling harder as she drifted into the world of her dreams, Samara knew she could hardly wait to become his wife.

**-o-O-o-**

Hours after their wedding, Tymothy smiled brighter than ever as he walked through his home, now their home with his darling wife. Samara was walking next to him with her head bowed out of shyness and timidity while she smiled to herself. And he knew just why. Their wedding had been beyond wonderful. Thousands of people had shown up to witness it and it had gone perfectly with them pledging their love before everyone, sharing their first kiss as husband and wife and having their wedding waltz. The celebrations had gone on late and all the congratulations they had received were still in his mind. But he knew Samara was even happier for another reason right now. The same reason as him.

They were finally at his home as a married couple with the freedom to show their love for each other without any restrictions Smiling, Tymothy knew they were finally free to touch and be with each other fully. Not wanting to wait for another moment, Tymothy took his wife's hand in his, holding it firmly in his own as he began to lead her up the stairway to their master bedroom, determined to show her how much he loved her and knowing she would not stop him at last. But suddenly he paused, hearing words in his ears that were stemming from inside his mind:

"_I need your help immediately, Tymothy. It is an emergency."_

Recognizing the voice of the Devil immediately, Tymothy bit his cheek in frustration. He really didn't want to run off on another job right now. He just wanted to be with Samara but… Sighing, he knew the Devil could not be kept waiting. "What's wrong, my lord?" Samara said from next to him, obviously having heard his sigh and wondering why he had suddenly stopped walking. Turning to look at her, Tymothy ignored how tempting she looked right now and spoke firmly. "I have to go out for a bit. I'll be right back so why don't you just…unwind. You must be tired," he said, smiling gently.

Looking at him with sad, upset eyes Samara couldn't help but feel heartbroken. How could he leave tonight? After how long they had waited for this? She had a feeling this excursion he was taking had to do with the important job he had but that still didn't keep her from staring at him with longing, aching eyes filled with want and need. She really wanted her husband right now. Seeing the sad look on her face, Tymothy smiled back at her lovingly, understanding her pain because he was feeling it too. "I promise I'll be right back," he said, cupping her cheek and making her look into his eyes. "This just...it can't be ignored."

Nodding her head because she could tell he had to leave, Samara raised her hand and held his hand that was holding her face. Giving it a squeeze, she smiled at him softly and nodded, allowing him to leave her. Smiling at her understanding and lack of questioning him, Tymothy kissed her forehead before turning and swiftly walking out to get this over with as fast as possible so he could return to his wife.

**-o-O-o-**

Letting out a bored sigh, Samara sat in the bathtub continuing the soak in the tub she had been taking for a while now. She had hoped he would have come back by now but he hadn't. Sighing again, she knew it had at least been an hour. Silently cursing at his job for taking him away, Samara wondered what else to do to pass the time until his return. Getting an idea, she smiled, getting out of the tub and drying herself off.

Putting on her dress again, Samara moved out of the bathroom to take a tour of her husband's home again. She knew she had seen it once before but she loved it so much that she wanted to see it all again. From it's exquisite furnishings to it's beautiful artwork, Samara knew there was just so much to see that even with the detailed tour her Tymothy had given her, she had a feeling they must have missed something. Smiling to herself, Samara knew she didn't want to miss anything. No, she wanted to see it all. She wanted to get to know his home just as well as she had come to know him.

With that thought in mind, Samara moved through the mansion slowly, taking her time. She went into the grand library and ballroom he had shown her again, taking in every little detail and revisiting every other room in the house. After a long while had passed and she felt tired, the wedding earlier and all her walking catching up to her, Samara knew she had to rest. She did not want to be fast asleep when her husband came back. Deciding to take a small nap now to avoid that, Samara walked back into the main hall and looked left and right trying to spot the bedroom. She bit her lip, suddenly feeling lost in the large mansion. She honestly wasn't sure which room the master bedroom was anymore.

Suddenly spotting a room at the top of the stairway, off to the left, Samara wondered if that was their bedroom. She remembered the bedroom was upstairs from the tour he had given before. Thinking she was right, Samara quickly mounted the stairs and reached the room only to pause in surprise when she realized that this room was not the bedroom he had shown her. No, she had never even seen this room before. Noticing the black, polished handle, Samara had a feeling if she had seen this room she would have remembered it. But she didn't so that must mean he had forgotten to show it to her. Excited at having found a new room to look at to pass the time, Samara reached out and took the handle. Turning on it, she frowned when she founded it locked. Why was it locked?

Biting her lip, Samara stared at the locked door with curiosity buzzing around in her stomach. She really, really wanted to see what was inside. Knowing she could never handle curiosity, and the fact that he wouldn't mind, Samara studied the lock on the door before pulling a hairpin out of her hairdo and using it to pick the lock. She smiled when it clicked open a moment later. Putting the pin back in her hair to not mess up her locks, she pulled open the door and went in, Stepping inside, she was surprised at how peculiar this room was. It was different from all the others as it lacked any furniture or room to sit down. All it had was shelves upon shelves on which objects rested.

Curious as to what was being kept with so much care, Samara moved around and glanced up and down at the shelves, surprised to find daggers and knives and other strange looking things that she couldn't name but knew were weapons of some kind. Running her finger over the hilt of one long sword-like weapon, Samara studied the intricateness of the work on it and smiled, instantly understanding why her husband had them_. "He must collect these," _she thought, smiling harder as she remembered that her father had a collection of old battle muskets and rifles as well. He would really enjoy looking at these weapons.

Studying the sword more closely, Samara narrowed her eyes as she noticed that there was writing on it of some kind and other weapons also had the same. But she could not read the strange symbols and markings as the icons were completely unfamiliar to any language she had encountered before. _"I wonder where they are from?" _she thought curiously. Not being able to figure it out despite several moments, she gave up and made a mental note just to ask her husband about it later on. Walking again, she continued browsing the fascinating room. Thinking she had seen it all a little while later, she was about to leave when something pretty caught the corner of her eye.

Turning around and looking for what it was, Samara's eyes lit up in delight when she saw a mirror sitting there on an elegant stand. It was so pretty, being set in a white metal frame, that was angular in a way that it was wider at the top and thinner towards the bottom, making the mirror within it a bulb-like shape. The frame itself was consisted of raised, intricate, curl patterning, leaflet shapes, and two fancy three-pronged shapes at the top and bottom. A smile of awe formed on her lips as she saw how it looked vintage, possibly even ancient. Always having loved such things, Samara went over to it immediately to get a better look. "It's so beautiful," she whispered, as she stared at it with wide eyes, never before having seen such a rare piece of artistry.

Suddenly noticing how the mirror while being lovely was covered in dust, Samara bit her cheek in thought._ "I wonder why it's in this dusty, old state, it looks like it's worth a lot..." _She thought. Moving closer to it, Samara reached out to dust it off a bit just so she could see her face in it. But the moment her fingers grazed its surface the mirror turned warm to her touch and began to glow. Alarmed, Samara drew her hand back and stared in wonder, wondering what was going on here. Suddenly the mirror's surface turned black and something that seemed like smoke shifted around inside it before a face formed in the glass. A face that was red-skinned and horned with crooked teeth and coal-dark eyes.

The face of the Devil.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' Samara screamed, backing up hastily in terror. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed, her eyes wide as the rest of the demon's body appeared, floating in the mirror. And a moment later she turned and ran out of the room in horror while screaming her lungs out all the way. Tripping and falling over the train of her gown it took her several tries before she finally managed to get out. Slamming the door shut and locking it, Samara kept running with her heart pounding in fear in her chest at what she had seen. Broken prayers were mumbled out of her shaking lips as she ran faster and faster. Finding the first room she could find, thankful that it was the bedroom, Samara flew into it and barred the door before she huddled up on the bed, curling her body up in fetal position as she sat there praying furiously.

Tears flowed from her eyes due to the dread and panic she was feeling in this moment and she hoped that her husband would come back soon because she was horrified and felt as if she would pass out from what she had seen. The Devil was here in this mansion. He was after them for some unseen reason, but he was after them and that left her pale, frightened and shaken out of her mind. Sitting there, she pulled her body closer into her self and prayed for all she was worth, never daring even once to leave the room she had locked herself in.

Thinking she heard the door opening downstairs some twenty minutes later, a gasp left Samara's mouth and hope filled her heart as she thought that her husband might be here. Relief running though her like a current of wind, she ran and unlocked the door, moving quickly to warn him of what she had seen and seek comfort from him, something she desperately needed right now. Quickly running towards the top of the stairs, Samara suddenly skidded to a stop and gasped when she saw him heading right to the room she had seen the Devil in. Afraid for his life, Samara opened her mouth to warn him but stopped, wide-eyed when she saw what he did next.

He had walked right through the door.

Right through the solid door she had locked on her way out.

A scream nearly leaving her, Samara shook her head hastily, not believing what she'd seen. It was not possible. It could not be. Yes, she was scared over having seen the Devil and that was why she was seeing absurd things. That was it. Her husband was completely normal. Convinced of that, Samara ran towards the door again to tell her unsuspecting husband to leave that room before the Devil attacked him. Reaching it, she hurriedly picked the lock again and flung open the door. She was about to scream at Tymothy to run when she heard him speaking suddenly. And his turned back towards her proved he wasn't speaking to her.

"I got what you sent me for," she heard him say. Confused, and alarmed, not understanding any part of what was going on here, Samara stayed where she was, frozen by the doorway as she watched. And a moment later everything became clear to her when she saw Tymothy raise a hand and a white substance that looked like fog shoot out of it, crying and screaming in pain before disappearing inside the Devil's waiting mouth. Samara's skin went cold and she shook in terror and disbelief as she tried to throw a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream. Her husband…he had just handed the Devil a soul. He was working with…He was part of the Devil.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Unable to keep her horror in, a loud scream split from Samara's mouth, hitting Tymothy's ears. Startled, he spun around. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock when he saw Samara standing there, at the doorway, staring at him with big, scared, teary, terrified eyes. "S-Samara…" he breathed out, still shocked, having expected her to be sleeping or bathing or doing anything but seeing him do his job. Seeing the wild, fear-stricken look in her eyes, Tymothy took a step towards her to comfort her and tell her she had no reason to fear him, but before he took even a single step, she let out a ear-splitting wail of horror and ran away from him like madwoman as fast as her feet would take her.

Struggling to understand how this had happened, Tymothy turned the Devil. Looking back at him with guilty eyes, the Devil shrugged. "She came in here a little while earlier and touched the mirror. I thought it was you and you were here to give me the soul you had to catch for me so I made myself visible." Hearing his admission, Tymothy's skin lost its colour and his eyes widened even more. Samara…His Samara...She knew everything. "No…" he breathed out holding the door for support and breathing deep as his world crumbled around him into nothingness. "Oh no…." he whispered, horrified. He had always feared Samara finding out his dark secret and now she had…in the worst possible way.

"I'm sorry," the Devil said, but Tymothy didn't even hear him as he ran after his wife. Running to the grand staircase, he looked around left and right in panic. Finally seeing her struggling with the main door in a mad attempt to get out, he ran down the stairs to reach her before she left without letting him explain. Hearing his footsteps approaching her, Samara screamed again, and tugged and pulled on the door handle. Finally getting it open. She moved to throw herself out it and run away but was stopped when Tymothy grabbed her from behind.

Feeling him grab hold of her arm, Samara screamed loudly, tears of terror exploding from her eyes as she struggled like mad to get away. Ignoring her struggles. Tymothy pulled her back inside. Throwing his arms around her waist from behind, he held her tight so that she would not get away before he attempted speaking to her. "Calm down, Samara…" he urged as he held her even closer and pleaded against her ear. "Please calm down and listen to me! Just for a second!" he begged, hoping for a chance to explain. But Samara never listened to him as she screamed louder, and louder until her screams ripped through his eardrums and everything he said was rendered useless under the force of her howls of terror.

Trying to speak over her cries, he spoke again in her ear. "Please Samara! Just hear me out!" he implored but she didn't listen to one word. Struggling even harder, she raised her hands and began attacking his arms viciously in a desperate attempt at freedom. "L-let me go!" she shrieked, beating her fists and clawing her nails into his forearms any which way that she could as she twisted her body in his grip to break his hold. "Let me go!" she growled angrily. Listening to her ordering him to release her and battling him to get away, Tymothy felt hurt grip every one of his senses as his heart felt heavy and broken. His Samara wanted to leave him? Why? Did she think he would hurt her? He would never, ever hurt her. He loved her too much for that. Didn't she know that?

Hearing her scream at him to let her lose again, Tymothy shook his head in confusion. "Why Samara? Why should I let you go? Why do you want to go?" he asked heartbrokenly as he turned her around in his arms to face him and looked at her with longing, loving eyes. "I'm your husband." Glaring at him hatefully, Samara shook her head. "Don't call yourself my husband!" she roared leaving his eyes to widen. Taking no mercy on any of the hurt on his face, she glared at him in disgust before screaming accusingly. "You're evil!" Drawing in a deep breath, Tymothy struggled not to crumble. Her latest words had cut him deep. Way beyond deep. It felt like she had stabbed him in his heart with her own, two hands.

Pushing his pain into the back of his mind, Tymothy focused on Samara and tried to talk to her again but she wouldn't even let him as she threw her hands over her ears and shook her head defiantly. "No! Let me go! Now!" she screamed, not hearing anything at all, treating his words like some indecipherable language and thrashing in his arms to get away from him as if he was some monster that was going to kill her and eat her raw.

Disregarding any of his pleas for her to hear him, keeping her hands over her ears, Samara glared at him viciously, speaking in an acidic tone. "You're tainted!" she shouted hatefully. "You're demonic and a sinner!" she screamed right in his face as he stood there with wide, hurt eyes. "And you're not my husband!" she growled, loudest of all as she looked at him with her nostrils flaring and her eyes narrowed into slits of hate.

"Don't you dare, EVER call yourself my husband! I don't want anything to do with you!" she spat before she stepped on his foot hard enough to make him wince and threw herself out of his arms. Snatching up the door handle in her hands she ran outside furiously. Tymothy stood there for a moment, trying to recover from the pain from her harsh words that was bad enough to be physical before he ran after her to try and bring her back. But by the time he reached she had already gotten into a coach and left. And he was left standing there in the darkness of the night, staring after her longingly with nothing but hurt and pain in his eyes, heartbroken and all alone once more.

**-o-O-o-**

Getting off his coach, Tymothy looked at Samara's father's mansion with hopeful eyes. He was certain Samara had come back here after what happened last night. He had given her the night to calm herself down and make sense of the things she had said in anger. But now he was here to bring his wife back home. To their home where she belonged and where he needed her.

Taking a deep breath, Tymothy approached the gate. Reaching it, he reached out to open it but was surprised to find it still locked even though the gatekeeper had seen him arrive. Flicking his eyes over to the gatekeeper's face, Tymothy looked at him expectantly but the man only fixed him with a hateful glare letting him know he was not welcome here. "Let me in," Tymothy said firmly but the man only shook his head. Struggling not to lose his patience as he had been waiting all night to see Samara, Tymothy gripped the bars of the gate nearest him and looked at the gatekeeper angrily. "Don't make me break this gate down," he said threateningly.

Frowning, the keeper pointed a finger at him. "You are not allowed here! I have specific orders to keep you out!" he shouted, drawing the attention of other servants on the other side of the gate. And when they took one look at him, gasped and ran away while whispering prayers, Tymothy felt his jaw twitching in anger. Samara had told everyone what she had seen. She had turned their private misunderstanding as husband and wife into a public thing. And he didn't like that. Bottling up his anger over the choice his wife had made because he knew she had done it out of a bad misunderstanding, Tymothy turned his eyes back on the gatekeeper. "I don't care what orders you received…" he hissed, looking the man square in the eye. "I am not leaving without talking to my wife."

The gatekeeper took a step back obviously feeling threatened. Taking a long look at Tymothy, the man frowned again. "So you won't leave like this?" he asked. Looking at the man with dead seriousness on his face, Tymothy nodded. "You heard me right the first time."

Glaring at him harder as if he was some horrible nuisance, the man muttered. "Fine, the master will throw you out himself," before folding his hands and praying for a moment before he disappeared inside the mansion. When he didn't come back for several moments, Tymothy was close to giving into the urge of just passing through the gate with his powers, when suddenly he returned with Lord Shawn at his side. Seeing his father-in-law, Tymothy smiled and bowed his head in respect but was only given a hateful sneer in return. "Leave," Shawn said firmly, pointing to the coach Tymothy had arrived in.

Letting out a sigh, Tymothy took a moment to form what he had to say in his mind before he spoke to his wife's upset father. "My Lord, there has been a terrible misunderstanding between Samar-"

"Don't say her name!" Shawn hissed, glaring at him with embers of hate in his eyes. Biting his cheek, Tymothy waited for him to calm down before he tried talking again. But the moment Shawn saw him open his mouth he cut him off, not allowing him to speak. "Just get out," he growled demandingly, pointing at the coach again. Seeing Tymothy about to talk again he shook his head telling him not to. "I don't want to hear it!" he roared. Another sigh left Tymothy's lips.

Just as Samara hadn't heard him out last night now her father was doing the same thing. If he would just listen to him, just for a moment he might have a chance to explain his involvement with the Devil and prove that Samara was under no threat with him. Wanting to try again, Tymothy spoke gently, in a pleading whisper. "My lord please, you have it all wron-"

"I told you I do not want to hear it!" Shawn howled, making Tymothy fall silent. Looking at him with accusing, angry eyes, Lord Shawn shook his head in disgust. "Either you have driven my child insane…" he said, hurt in his tone. "Or you are indeed working for the Devil." Tymothy opened his mouth to explain again but Lord Shawn held up his hand dismissingly. Shooting him another glare, he continued in an icy tone. "What ever it is, Samara doe not want to be with you anymore."

Scam's eyes widened and hurt poured into them while his mouth formed a sad frown. How could he just say something like that? Samara was no longer just his daughter. He too had a claim on her. A very big claim. Samara was HIS wife. He was HER husband. He loved her more than anything in this world. Why was all that being forgotten over this misinterpretation of his deal with the Devil? These facts stood outside everything else. Marriage was a bond that could not be broken so easily. Not when it came to him anyway.

Looking his father-in-law in the eyes, Tymothy spoke in a firmly. "I married her…" he said, reminding him of the event he himself had headed just yesterday. "I am her husband and I have every right to talk to my wife." Crossing his arms over his chest, Shawn shook his head furiously, "My poor daughter was tricked into marrying you," he hissed, remembering how she had fallen for this man's charms and looks. The very things he had hidden his evil behind when he interacted with them. Glaring, he looked at Tymothy decisively. "For all I care, this marriage does not count and will never mean a thing." His tone soon became hard and demeaning. "Now get out before I call the guards to haul you out."

Staring back at Lord Shawn, Tymothy saw all the determination on his face and he knew he would not get inside on his watch. The look he was giving him proved that he would only let him see Samara over his dead body. Knowing he could still get inside the mansion's walls with his powers and strength, but not wanting to cause further issues between them Tymothy turned and left because he knew he couldn't see her like this. But he would be back. He would be back and this time he WOULD talk to Samara no matter what.

**-o-O-o-**

Watching Tymothy pace around his bedroom, looking at the clock from time to time the Devil could not understand why he was doing this to himself. He had been humiliated several times already. Every time he had gone to talk to Samara he had been treated like a monster, scorned, and turned away from her gates without even getting to see her face. He had been suffering this treatment, this rejection and ill treatment for a week now. And going back to Samara's home again was only going to result in that same hate being spewed onto him again. That, the Devil knew or possibly something worse.

"Let her go Tymothy," he said, giving him his advice but Tymothy didn't hear him. Once the clock struck midnight, Tymothy let out a sigh of relief knowing from his years of studying them, that by now everyone in Samara's household would be fast asleep. If he had any hope of seeing Samara peacefully, it had to be done now because every other time, her servants and family had gotten in his way. But tonight they would be asleep and hopefully out of his way. Closing his eyes he focused on his powers and transported himself to outside Samara's bedroom. When he reached, he turned and looked around, glad when he noticed how the guards posted outside her door obviously to keep him out as they were never here before, were in deep slumbers. Not wasting another moment, he passed through the bedroom door, walking through the oak wood and landing on the other side.

Once he stood on her familiar carpet, Tymothy ran his eyes across the room and let out another relieved breath to find that she all alone in her room and there was no one else here to stop him from talking to her now. It was just in her room, laying on her bed. Taking quiet steps towards her, Tymothy made sure not to startle her. But when he reached the side of her bed he saw that she wasn't up and was sleeping peacefully. Standing there, he didn't move and just took a few moments to glance at her face. Last time he had seen her, she had been terrified and scared and he had hated it. He liked to see her happy. Happy and relaxed just as she was right now with her mouth pulled up into a small smile and her arms laying calm at her sides. And he knew that once she heard him out tonight, she would be just as peaceful and joyful around him and would come back their home which was her rightful place. Just as soon as she listened to him. Smiling down at her, Tymothy decided not to wake her yet.

He continued to stare at her, watching how he moonlight bounced off her red, wavy locks that were strewn around her pillow and enjoying how angelic she looked. He just loved her so much in fact that he could just stand here and watch her forever. Suddenly noticing that one of her strands was scattered near her eye, and wanting her to remain comfortable, he smiled and leaned down, using his index finger and thumb to push it away. But the moment he did that she let out a sound of disturbance and slowly opened her eyes sleepily. Then a gasp left her as her as she recognized him and her eyes snapped open fully. Soon she sat up bolt right and let out a terrified scream before she crawled back on the mattress hastily.

Pressing her back against the headboard of her bed, Samara looked at him all horrified before screaming. "N-no! Leave me alone!" she roared. "Go away, you evil demon!" she shouted, failing her arms at him and swinging her fists as if to defend herself against him.

Hearing her words and watching her fighting him like that, Tymothy felt nothing but pain and hurt. Raw pain and hurt course through every vein and every pore of his body. Had she forgotten everything? Everything they had shared? Everything he meant to her? Wasn't she the same girl who used to love him so much? Yes, she was Samara, the girl who had broken her match to another man to marry him, the one who had fallen in love with him in just four days and dreamt of him every night and longed to be with him for the rest of her life. She was the one who had taken one glance at him and could never look away, the one who had told him he was perfect and wonderful and everything she had ever wanted in her life.

She had felt so deeply about him just a few days ago, did this…did this fact she had learned about him working for the Devil change all that? Did it honestly change everything? How could that be when he was still the same man he had been when she had pledged her love to him for all eternity? How could it change when he still wanted her with every fibre of his being? No, it didn't make sense and he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe she didn't love him as truly as he had come to believe she had. He didn't want to even think she didn't love him the way he loved her because it killed him. No, he had waited way too long for her to love him back for him to lose it now. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear her rejection. It would drive him over the edge.

Hearing her still screaming at him to get out and leave her, Tymothy moved fast and put his hand over her mouth, muffling her because he knew if she kept this up then everyone would wake up. And then he wouldn't get to say what he had to say to her and he could not bear to let that happen. Ignoring how she was looking at him with wide, terrified eyes, Tymothy kept his hand over her mouth and spoke to her gently. "Please Samara…" he urged pleadingly. "Just listen to me," he said but her eyes remained wide with fright and fear as she kept staring at him fearfully. Wanting her to stop looking at him like that because he could never hurt her, he loosened his hold on her mouth a little and gave her a loving smile that poured all his feelings for her out for her to see right on his face.

"Don't worry…I'm not…I'm not going to hurt you," he said, keeping his smile on his face even though having to convince her of these things was cutting holes into his heart and twisting daggers into his very being. Looking at her with kind eyes he continued in a soft, hushed, non-threatening tone. "Please listen to me, I love you." Feeling her tense under his touch he shook his head in a disapproving way because she had nothing to worry about. He wasn't going to hurt her. Not now not ever. Wanting to get that through to her, he spoke earnestly. "I'm not.…" he took a deep breath, keeping himself from frowning at the words he was having to say.

Staring at her with honestly on his face he spoke firmly. "I'm not demonic or evil… I just…I love you. You understand, right? I just love you," he said, hoping she would nod in understanding. But Samara just shot him a disgusted glare before she bit his hand hard, and pushed him away when his hold broke. Rolling off the bed, Samara stood up and screamed at him again. "Stop it! Go away! Leave me alone!" she roared before she turned and went to run out of her room.

Knowing he hadn't gotten through to her yet, Tymothy used his powers and locked her door from the outside. Hearing the lock click, Samara's eyes went wide and she screamed when she could not open it. Desperate to escape him, she raised her hands and began pounding on the door. "Help!" she screamed. "Someone help me! Save me from this demon! Help!" she roared and soon there were sounds of worried screams on the other end asking what was wrong, asking if she was in danger, asking if HE was here with her. Hearing the door being broken down from the other side, Tymothy knew he had to leave because soon everyone would be here. Focussing on his powers he prepared himself to leave but not before giving her a last longing look that he hoped she'd see and understand how much he loved her.

When he vanished, Samara stopped pounding on the door. A moment later her mother, father and servants rushed in after tearing down her bedroom door. Seeing them, Samara let out a cry of terror before she rushed into her mother's arms and cried her eyes out. Going over to her with worry in his eyes, Shawn rubbed his daughter's back. "What happened dearest? Are you okay?" he asked. Shaking her head, Samara choked on her latest sob. "N-no I'm not," she said sniffling while she kept trembling and shuddering. "H-he was here. In my room."

Looking at her more worried than ever, Shawn spoke urgingly. "Who was here? Tell me," he said. Continuing crying, Samara sobbed out the name of her husband leaving Shawn's face to scrunch up in raw fury. Tymothy Scam had just crossed the line. He had warned him to stay away from his daughter endlessly but he hadn't listened. And this time he had gone too far.

Listening to his child crying uncontrollably, Shawn knew she was in danger and her husband scared her to death. If he kept coming after her, who knew what would happen. Maybe he would feed her to the Devil to make his master happy or perhaps she would just die of her fear of him. His body freezing in terror at the thought of losing his only child, Shawn shook his head determinedly. No, he would not let him hurt her. He wouldn't allow it. But…Sighing, he wondered what he could do. It was obvious by now that he wasn't going to just leave her alone. No, he thought she was his wife as she had said her vows to him and because of that Shawn knew, he would never let her go. Not as long as she was his wife and he her husband he would not let her live in peace.

Suddenly a thought came to him and his eyes widened as he wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. Tymothy Scam was stuck on Samara because she was married to him but what if that bond no longer existed between them. What if Samara became another man's? Then he'd have to let her go because he would have no claim on her. Knowing he didn't want his child to remain married to a demon anyway, Shawn decided this was it. This was how they were going to get him out of Samara's life.

"Samara," he said, making her look up at him sadly. Stroking away her tears, Shawn smiled,. "Don't worry dearest, I know what to do. I know how to get rid of him." Letting out a gasp, Samara looked at her father with nothing but hope in her eyes. "H-how father? How is that possible?"

Looking at her firmly, Shawn spoke in a quiet whisper just in case her demonic husband was listening and would ruin their plans. "We have to break this bond you have with him. This marriage…it needs to end." Listening to her husband, Gabriella bit her cheek in thought. "But how can we do that?" She asked, confused. "We know that he won't let her go, how can we get them divorced then?" Shaking his head, Shawn looked at his wife and spoke quietly. "The divorce isn't important. We don't need to do that to break this bond."

Biting her lip, Samara looked at her father worriedly. "How else can we do that then?" she asked. Smiling at her, Shawn stroked her hair. "By getting you married again." Samara gasped, looking at him in surprise, not having seen that suggestion coming. "Once you get married and belong to another man, he will let you go on his own." Holding his child by the shoulders, Shawn looked at her urgently. "We must move fast and act now. You must be married before he comes after you again."

"But who will marry her that quickly?" Gabriella asked, knowing Tymothy Scam visited them everyday to demand to talk to his wife and take her back home. Where were they going to find a man who would marry Samara, a previously married woman, in under one day? Glancing at his wife, Shawn gave her a reassuring smile as he hugged his daughter and calmed her down. "Don't worry…..I know just the man who will."

**-o-O-o-**

"No…." Tymothy said, his eyes wide as he stared at the words before him in complete disbelief. "No!" he hissed, punching the brick wall where he saw the announcement posted before him. It couldn't be. No it could NOT BE. He didn't believe it. Samara couldn't, she just could not be doing this to him. She could not be marrying another man, especially not David. Not a man who was born rich unlike him. No, she wouldn't punish him for his born poverty like this. She couldn't laugh at his love for her like this. She couldn't go away like this. She couldn't do that to him. It wasn't, it just wasn't possible.

Feeling his heart practically split into two in his chest at the thought that maybe she had been the one responsible for this announcement, Tymothy shook his head and tried to convince himself otherwise. "No she must have been forced, she'd never actually leave me like that," he mumbled brokenly. "She loves me….she loves me, she would never hurt me like this. It can't be…"

"She's marrying him with her own choice, Tymothy," he heard from behind him in the voice of the Devil. Turning around, he looked at him to find the Devil looking at him with honesty and no trace of treachery on his face. "It's the truth," he said firmly. "She's moving on and you need to accept that." Shaking his head from side to side, Tymothy pressed his lips into a firm line and took deep breaths as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He would never accept that. Not now, not in a hundred years.

"No…" he whispered a moment later. Glaring at the Devil, he frowned. "You don't know her!" he shouted angrily. "Samara would never do this to me! No she'd know it would kill me!" he growled, feeling his blood boil at the proposal the Devil was making about her by saying she would do that. No, he didn't know her. Samara had the biggest heart, the biggest heart anyone could ever have and he had a place in it. She wouldn't do this. Shaking his head continuously and bunching his fists, Tymothy knew that even if he was a stranger to her, she would never be so cruel. She knew he wouldn't be able to bear this, she knew it would wrench out his very being if she did this. She had to know that and he knew she would never allow herself to hurt him. No, she loved him. She loved him.

She LOVED HIM.

And this wedding was not her idea. Nodding to himself, Tymothy knew the truth. He knew she was miserable right now. She was crying her eyes out just like she had been when she was marrying David the first time and she was longing for him. Yes, she was waiting for him to come and take her away. Take her away so that they could finally be together. And he was here, wasting time arguing with the Devil over something that was ridiculous and impossible. Why was he doing that? He had no need to. No, Samara loved him and he knew that. He didn't need to convince anyone else. And right now, he had to go to her and take her away. There wasn't much time left for her wedding, just an hour or so and he didn't have much time.

Closing his eyes, Tymothy concentrated on his powers and transported to her mansion never hearing the Devil who was shouting after him, telling him he was making a mistake he was going to regret severely.

**-o-O-o-**

Moving through the halls of Samara's wedding lit-up, decorated mansion, Tymothy remained invisible so that he would not be stopped. Using more of his powers, he passed through anyone in his path and made a straight path to Samara's room. Finally reaching it some moments later, he stopped outside and put his ear up against the door to hear if his Samara was in there. And when he heard one of her friends saying they were almost done getting her ready, he knew she was. Having gotten his confirmation that his wife was just behind this door, Tymothy quickly slipped through it determined to get her back tonight.

Landing on the other side, he kept up his invisibility because he did not want her maids and friends seeing him and screaming for help. They could do all the screaming the wanted once he had gotten his wife out of here.

Swiftly moving through the room and in between the many, smiling and laughing women, Tymothy kept his eyes peeled for the most beautiful of them all, a young redhead who he knew would be crying her heart out while they forced her to prepare herself to wed another man.

But when he finally saw Samara, Tymothy froze on the spot, his breath nearly stopping in his lungs as hurt clapped through him like an angry roar of thunder. There she was, sitting before her mirror, being groomed by her friends, dressed in the same wedding dress she had worn to marry him just a week ago. And there on her face, where he had been expecting to see tears and heartbrokenness was fixed….

A smile.

A small, joyful smile of a woman completely at ease. And seeing that smile, Tymothy felt his heart crack into a thousand pieces as shock and betrayal numbed his senses. She wasn't…she wasn't miserable. She wasn't waiting for him to come get her. No…she was waiting to pledge herself to another man, to Lord David of Frescor, to forget that she ever had feelings for another man. To forget….all about him and pretend he didn't exist.

Drawing in a deep, staggering breath, Tymothy felt his face harden as he watched her smiling away, and anguish filled his blood like venom as hurt boiled in his veins. And then it hit him like a arrow in his chest, splitting him in half. She was over him. She had really, truly shut her feelings for him off after leaning about his connections with the Devil. She didn't care why he had those connections. She didn't care about his reasons. She didn't care to hear him out. She didn't care…for HIM.

Slowly, Tymothy's body began to shake slowly as his breaths came and went slower and deeper. His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched as his teeth bared themselves in pain as he felt a hundred daggers wound his heart, twisting and turning every which way and tearing him apart. He felt as if he was going to explode. There was a volcano erupting inside him right now and he could feel the fury rising within him in angry currents as his heart strained more and more within his chest, threatening to pop out and lay dead at any second.

How could she do this? He asked himself, as his eyes narrowed into slits of rage and wrath and his body trembled with uncontrollable vehemence and throbbing. How could his Samara be so cruel and uncaring? How could she destroy everything that he had like this? With her own two hands? Without any, single, bit of regret? How could she smile after trampling his heart? How could she be so monstrous? How? After everything he had done for her? After all he had been through, longing for her day after day ever since he was a small boy? After he gave away his SOUL to be with her? HOW could she not give a damn? How could she move on just like that?

HOW COULD SHE NOT LOVE HIM BACK?

Unable to control his hurt anymore, Tymothy found himself screaming out at her. "You're marrying David on your own?" he growled roughly, his angry voice booming off the walls of her bedroom and revealing his presence to them all. And seeing him, they all screamed and backed away, throwing their arms around themselves in fear and terror. Samara screamed the loudest, her colour draining at the sight of him but tonight he found he did not care.

He could feel the sting of the pain she had inflicted upon him shooting out of his body and he knew he looked fearsome right now. He was sure he resembled a wrathful spirit bent on justice in this moment, but he did not care to appear any different to any of them. Because that was what he was. An angry, tormented spirit. A hurt, man. But most of all a betrayed, cheated husband who needed answers from his beloved WIFE.

Ignoring their screams, he focused all his attention on the shuddering redhead and repeated his question in an angry, raw, hiss of pain. "You're marrying him with your will?" he roared waiting for her to answer him but she just sat there completely transfixed in fear. Losing his patience, Tymothy advanced towards her in fast, furious steps. "Answer me Samara!" he snarled, looking at her with demanding, restless eyes filled with throbbing. "Right this moment!"

Seeing him closing in on her, her friends began screaming louder than ever. An array of shouts and angry screams rang in his ears, half of them telling him to get out while the other half of the feminine shrieks called desperately for help again him. And then he saw her closest friends, Clovera, Alexandria and Britania, stand in front of her, making a wall between him and Samara and keeping him from getting to her. And seeing what they were doing, Tymothy felt his eyes grow even darker as his anger tipped over to the edge of control. They were…they were guarding her from him as if she was in danger. They were guarding HIS WIFE from….HIM.

The volcano of rage that he had been suppressing inside him finally burst, and Tymothy let out a roar of raw anger before he raised his hands and activated his powers. Using them, he pushed all the other women in the room out of the way, letting them hit the walls and floor as he cleared his path. And when Samara was left standing alone, trembling in the centre of the room all by herself, he transported right before her. And before her friends could even get up again, he had picked her up, thrown her over his shoulder and carried her off. And her friends and servants watched in horror as she let out a scream right before her body began to fade along with his and soon they both vanished from right before their eyes with them being able to do nothing to stop him from taking her, but just stare wide-eyed and helpless.

Reaching his home just a moment afterwards, Tymothy ignored how Samara was beating her fists against his back and kicking him in the chest while he held her because he couldn't even feel it at the moment. She could hurt him no more than she already had and his body was numb. Absolutely numb as the pain she had given him soaked every, single one of his senses and made him immune.

Closing his eyes again, he transported to their bedroom and once he reached he threw her body down onto the bed. Samara let out a squeal of horror as her back hit the mattress before she sat up and quickly crawled back on the bed to stay as far away from him as she could. But seeing her trying to run from him again, Tymothy could take no more and he reached out and grabbed her leg before drawing her back towards him. "Stop it!" he shouted, leaving her to tremble.

Shuddering because he was touching her, Samara screamed as she twisted her leg in his hold and forced it away. And when she got it out from his grip she studied it as if expecting it to be gone just because HE had touched it. Getting angrier with how she was acting, Tymothy found all his patience evaporating and he screamed out at her what he had been hoping to once ask her calmly. "How could you do this?" he hissed, his angry question bouncing off the walls and nearly making the room itself shudder. Looking at her with hurt, angered eyes, he spoke again. "How could you agree to marry another man?"

Now getting tired of screaming like a helpless woman, Samara stopped and put her arms around herself protectively before shooting him a glare. She had had it with him acting like he had real feelings when he was a demonic monster. "You're not a man!' she screamed. "Don't you dare call yourself a man!"

Feeling his anger flaring even more, Tymothy had to remind himself how much how much he loved her to keep him from physically lashing out at her from the hurt she was causing. If it had been anyone else but her who had said that, by now he would have-

Clenching his teeth he tried to hold his fury back and he spoke to her calmly, with his anger just hidden beneath the surface of his tone. "Samara…." he breathed out, looking her in the eye. "You know I love you," he said, knowing she did know that, knowing that she had to by now. "You know I do, then how could you-"

"Monsters don't know how to love!" she screamed, cutting him off. Going speechless at her words, Tymothy looked back at her with pain written in his eyes as he looked at her in disbelief at what she was saying. But she didn't care for his shock nor pain as she continued yelling at him with a disgusted glare on her face, "You don't know the first thing about love!" She said, pointing an accusing finger towards him before she smirked. "No, to you I was probably some…some prize!" she shouted, leaving him to curl his fists at his sides hard enough for his nails to cut into his flesh. But she didn't see the droplets of blood falling onto the white carpet as she continued saying hurtful words to him without stopping.

"I should have listened to my friends when they said you were too good to be true!" she howled before sneering and crossing her arms over her chest. "But no," she said shaking her head. "No, I was too blinded by love!" she spat, glaring at him venomously. "Love that was probably the result of some demonic spell! That's why it happened so fast!" she screamed, looking at him with demanding eyes. "What did you do to me? What did you do to make me love you Tymothy?" she hissed and right then Tymothy felt his heart completely shatter and crush inside him, nothing being left anymore after her latest words.

He had been made that offer of receiving her love unbounded and for all eternity but he had not accepted it. He had not accepted it because he didn't want to force her in any way. Yet she was accusing him of doing that exact thing. Yet, she was insulting the depth of his feelings for her and thinking so lowly of his love for her, the only thing that he had had in his life that had kept him going all these years.

And she was mocking it.

He dug his nails into his palms harder and closed his eyes and opened them, again to try and calm the storm that was raging in his mind. A dark, destructive storm threatening to destroy everything in its path because he had nothing left inside him anymore but pain, misery and insatiable anguish. He felt his hurt mount higher and higher with every breath her took, with every passing second as everything she had said to him imprinted itself into his mind and soon his body once again began shaking in rage. Only this time it was harder, much harder and he was unable to stop.

Finding him speechless, and thinking she had made her point, Samara stood from the bed and spoke triumphantly. "I'm going back to Lord David," she said decisively. "I may not love him but," she shot him a hateful glare before she finished her thought. "At least he won't FORCE me to love him with demonic spells," she spat, before turning from him and walking towards the exit to leave him once and for all.

Watching her just leaving him calmly after all she had said and done, Tymothy's eyes flashed with all the pain he was feeling, nearly turning red from the way his heart was bleeding inside of him right now. And he knew he couldn't take it. He was broken, broken beyond repair and hurting like hell…and still she was leaving him. His heartbrokenness, his grief, his torment was evident on his face, in the way he was taking ragged breaths and how his tanned colour was nearly turning white, so evident that even a blind person could see it….still she was speeding away from him. Still she was disappearing from his life without any concern for how he'd survive without her. And…

He couldn't bear it. The thought of her leaving him after everything he had done, after the sacrifice he had made, after the nights and days he had spent praying for her to be a part of his life, after how he had suffered without her, after all that time- He just could not handle her turning around and walking away from him to go back into her world of wealth, prestige and prosperity where he would be invisible to her again.

And he wasn't going to allow it.

Catching up to her, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around to face him, ignoring her gasp and look of hatred directed right at him as he growled. "You can't leave me Samara…" he hissed, clutching her shoulder tightly to make sure she wouldn't get away. "I won't let you." Her glare hardening, Samara slapped his hand away from her shoulder and muttered a prayer before scowling at him. "Don't you dare say my name!" she shouted right in his face. "You have no right over me, and don't ever forget that!" she screamed, before moving to leave him again.

But before she could take another step away from him, Tymothy had summoned a dagger in his hand. And in the next second he had stabbed her in the same place she had broken inside him tonight.

Right in her heart.

**-o-O-o-**

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, her eyes snapping open and her consciousness returning to her. Finding herself still in Scam's embrace, Sam squealed before pulling away from him forcefully and shuddering as she looked at him fearfully, with wide, horrified eyes, finally remembering who and what he was, something even worse than the criminal she had known him to be all her life. He was the one, he was the man, the DEMON that had murdered her before her time in her last life.<p>

"You..." she breathed out, pointing at him with a trembling finger. "It's you!' she screamed before crawling back from him, standing up and running out of the room crying and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Samara!" Scam called out after her. "Samantha!' he shouted, hoping her current name would bring her to a halt before sighing when she didn't return. "Samantha...not again," he said tiredly, looking at the wall she had ran through with sad, longing eyes. Every time, this was how she hurt him. By leaving him and running away from him without stopping to hear what he had to say, It was because of her doing that the first time, ignoring him and running from him, that he had been left waiting a hundred years just to talk to her again. And that was why he had brought her here today, to talk to her.

That was why he had scared her to death, so that she'd have a death where she would not realize she was gone and end up in a state of limbo. For if he had killed her in a way that would be obvious to her then she would already be on her way to heaven by now and well away from him. He hadn't wanted to kill her but he also knew if he had tried to tell her the truth, talk to her while she was alive then she would run from him again and would not hear him just like she hadn't the last time. And he could not have that because for him to tell her what he had to, he needed to have her attention. And the state of limbo he had put her in now, where she was stuck between this life and the realm of those who had passed on was the perfect way to have that. Her attention on him, where he so desperately had waited to have it for all these many long years.

And he wasn't going to let her get away from him again, not without hearing what he had to say. With that thought in mind, he turned and ran through the same wall she had passed through to find her again.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She cried as she ran, ran and ran like a insane woman through the mansion's dark halls, desperately looking for a place to hide from him. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to talk to him. She wanted to stay away from him. She wanted to right the wrong she had done in the past by falling for him. She wanted to never be near the demon known as Tymothy Scam, TIM SCAM, ever, ever again.

That thought panging through her mind on replay, Sam forced her feet to run as she turned straight, left then right, seeking any direction that would keep him away from her. But a moment later she was left gasping and screaming again when she felt a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around her waist from behind her and pull her back against a well-built chest. And then she heard an urgent, deep voice speaking breathlessly in her ear. "Sam please! Stop running from me!" it said, and recognizing that voice along with familiarity of his grip, Sam began struggling like crazy. Thrashing against his body, Samara twisted and turned and tried to break his hold. Feeling her trying to escape him, Scam held on harder not willing to let her go. Not now, not ever. He had waited too long for this moment.

Feeling his embrace harden around her, Sam gasped and began struggling even harder. But he just would not let her go. Desperate to get away, Samantha raised her hands and began beating her fists against his arms as hard as she could. Feeling her attacks because they were both in the same state of being at the moment, Scam winced but kept on holding her, refusing to let her go. She kept hitting him with her fists and soon she started clawing at his arms with her nails, dragging them across his forearms and piercing his skin over and over but he still did not release her.

He let her hit him, let her struggle all she wanted without saying a single word or letting out even one wince even though she was causing him pain. She kept going for a while, tugging and scratching at him and seeming like she was never going to stop. But after her arms got tired and her hits became too weak to matter at all, Sam let out a shuddering breath before starting to shout at him to let her lose. "Let me go!" she roared but he kept keeping her close.

"Let me free!" she growled but he didn't hear her. And after several moments of ordering him to release her, Sam felt her voice beginning to disappear. Still wanting to get away, as a last resort, Sam began begging him even though she knew he would not let her free. "Let me go..." she said, a fresh coat of tears spraying her face. "Leave me..." she sobbed before raising her hands and covering her face to hide how badly she was crying. "P-please...leave me alone," she begged, harder than ever. And a moment later, she was left beyond shocked when suddenly he dropped his arms from around her and let her go.

Taking in a shuddering, confused breath, Sam turned around and looked at Scam with nothing but disbelief in her eyes. He, Tymothy Scam, the same man that had been after her for so long had let her go? When he had her with no where to run to and no one to ask for help? ...Why? Seeing how she was looking at him with lost, confused eyes, Scam smiled sadly before looking her in the eye and speaking quietly. "I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want to." Watching her blink slowly, he knew she was wondering why he had forced her to be stuck here then, in the confines of this mansion. Sighing heavily, he met her eyes again and answered her. "All I ask is that you just listen to me."

Listening to him, Sam pressed her lips in a thin line and her eyes narrowed in thought as she looked at him doubtfully. Was he really going to just talk to her? Or did he have something else up his sleeve. Glancing at his face, she saw how serious and honest he looked right now but...she wasn't sure she could trust him. Seeing all the suspiciousness on her face, Scam shook his head and spoke again tiredly. "You don't have to believe me," he said firmly, so honestly that she could hear his truthfulness nearly dripping from his tone. "I'm not going to force you, Samantha."

Biting her lower lip, Sam remained silent as she thought this over. She knew all she wanted was to get away from this man that was demonic and evil but...Biting her lip harder she knew he wouldn't just let her go. No, she had tried that her last life and he had just followed her wherever she went. Frowning, she realized that if she really wanted to cut him lose then she had to hear him out. Perhaps then, she could close this terrible chapter of her life once and for all and be rid of the man who was fixated on her. "Fine..." she said, having made up her mind. She wanted this to be the last time they talked. Crossing her arms over her chest protectively, Samantha raised her head up and glared at him. "What do you want to say to me," she said, her tone annoyed and he could tell that she really just wanted to get this over with and move on.

Ignoring the hurt that he felt at that, Scam spoke to her in a firm, unwavering voice with the hope that she would believe him regardless of him saying she didn't have to. "After I killed you Samara, I regretted it immediately. I tried to bargain with the Devil to bring you back but I couldn't." Looking into her eyes, Scam gave her an apologetic glance. "He told me he couldn't give back a life and then I was told I would never see you again and that..." he took a deep breath, feeling the pain of when he had been told that nearly a hundred years, come rippling back across his heart. "That hurt me more than you'll ever understand." Sighing, he looked at her with honesty in his gaze. "The only reason I...did this was so that you'd hear me out."

"Scare me to death you mean?" Sam said, glaring at him profusely as she remembered just how he had gone about it. "Yes, that," he said, smiling sadly at her because contrary to what he was sure she believed, he had taken no pleasure in tormenting her. "I had to do it otherwise you'd just run away again." Her glare hardening, Sam pointed a finger at him accusingly. "So that gave you the right to do it?" she screamed, her angry outburst echoing off the walls of the hallway.

Taking a step closer to him, Sam shouted again. "So that gave you the right to kill me? AGAIN?" she roared, not believing he was daring to even try and justify what he had done, twice to her now. Sighing tiredly, Scam held up his hand to silence her. "You said...you'd hear me out," he reminded. Rolling her eyes and huffing, Sam cursed at him under her breath, regretting ever asking him what he wanted to say to her before she glared at him and spoke. "Get on with it then," she spat through gritted teeth.

Putting down his hand and taking a deep breath, Scam started trying to explain things to her again. "After you left me Samantha I...I missed you," he said, pain in his voice as he looked at her with strong, unblinking eyes. "I escaped hell for you just for the chance to see you again," he said, remembering how he had had to run from the Devil for an hour while his army of reapers chased after him like hungry tigers to bring him back to hell where he now belonged, remembering all he had suffered and endured in the past just for this moment to arrive. How he had made an enemy out of the Devil by breaking his deal with him and running away once he had claimed his soul after Samara's death. He had been through so much just for her.

But Sam only looked at him with stern, pointed eyes and he knew she couldn't understand, that she didn't understand his reasons for what he did, nor how hard it was to do that which he had done. No, the stern look on her face told him she only had one thought on her mind. The same thought she had engraved into her brain last life that had left her to see him as some kind of monster. And he didn't like it one bit. Sighing, he looked at her with a small frown. "No I did not wait for you out of obsession Sam, I waited out of love."

He said, watching how her eyes widened when he said exactly what she had obviously been thinking, But the stern look on her face remained and he knew he was no where closer to getting her to stop loathing him than he had been in the past. He had to keep going.

"I won't lie..." he said slowly, starting up again. "When you died on me I...I was angry." Peering deep into her eyes he let her see all his pain, not bothering to hide his feelings behind an emotionless facade as he had for the last three years when he was around her. He wanted her to see his pain. See it, and understand it. "I was shocked that someone I loved so much could leave me..." he said, telling her just how confused, lost and betrayed he had felt at that moment. At that moment when she had left him alone in the world. It had been unbearable. So terribly unbearable. Letting those memories fill him up, his eyes grew sadder as he kept looking at her, never even blinking. "And that was why I tried to look for you again." He said before letting out a sigh.

"All those women you saw..." he said softly. "All those women that had features similar to you in that room were killed because each time I had thought I had found YOU, and when I realized they weren't you I...I..." he took another deep breath, taking it in before letting it out shakily. "I lost my temper and I killed," he admitted, knowing she had to know everything. "I kept killing to try and numb my senses but it didn't work," he said, sighing again. Looking at her with defeated eyes, he spoke in a broken whisper. "Eventually even my anger at you leaving me faded and all I was left with was longing." Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he looked at her with all the desire he had felt for as long as he could remember before he spoke again in a breathless, torn whisper. "I just missed you Samara."

Sam's jaw slightly dropped at his admission but then she closed it knowing she had never doubted that Tim Scam was behind those deaths. But him admitting it like this, that was just more evidence of the evil that he represented. A minion of the Devil would not mind killing, after all, she had seen him give the Devil a soul with her own eyes once. The memory still brought her chills and she knew he was not at all a good man for doing something so satanic. Looking at him with disgusted eyes, Sam glared, "You killed ME..." she hissed determinedly. "You killed nearly one hundred other women," she spat, shuddering slightly as she remembered their pale dead faces and the anger and hate she felt grew even stronger.

Pointing her finger at him again, she spoke in a loud, angry growl. "It's in you to kill and hurt because you're evil!" she roared, reminding him of what he was and what he always forgot to define himself as. He was evil. EVIL and nothing but EVIL. And she was not going to let him justify his evil through her like he had been doing just now.

Frowning deeply, she shook her head in an understanding way. "But I don't hold it against you..." she said, leaving his eyes to narrow in confusion telling her, he didn't know where she was going with his, Even though he really should. Getting sick of his innocent act, at how he was shielding his malice and knowledge of just what he was behind those big, sea-coloured, innocent looking eyes of his, Sam frowned harder and gave him the explanation he seemingly needed. "I know that you can't help yourself because this is your nature," she spat, before her eyes grew dark with hate and discontent. "But please," she hissed, looking at him with revulsion all over her face. "Please, please, please DO NOT hide your murderous lust behind your supposed feelings for me!"

His body going slack on the spot, Scam stared at Sam with hurt, pained eyes as her words cut him right down to his core, She was still doing this? She was still, STILL doubting his feelings for her? After all this? After everything? He really couldn't stand to have her doubting his love for her anymore. Sure her feelings for him had been about as strong as a strand of hair that had snapped under the first pull of a problem between them, but not HIS. No, his feelings were pure. Deep, honest and pure. And they remained to this day. And he was not going to have those feelings insulted by her. Not again. He had suffered through that pain once and he was not going to go through that again. He'd rather go through death again than have her tell him he didn't love her one more time.

"Murderous lust?" He found himself shouting right back, unable to control his pain right now. Throwing her a hurt look he shook his head in disbelief. "Why?" he hissed. "Why?" he said again, as he took a step closer to her and looked her straight in her angry eyes. "Because I killed you back then and I killed you now?" he asked, his voice more aggravated than ever, leaving her to slightly lower her gaze from him and take a small step back. And seeing her avert her eyes, despite the difference in the situation he was reminded of the woman he had wed so long ago that once found it hard to look at him out of her shyness and timidity. The one who had loved him. The memory nearly burned him inside out and left him feeling like a pile of ashes, like remains of burning coal embers.

His body shaking from hurt he spoke again. "Did it ever occur to you WHY I killed you back then, Samara?" he asked, his voice going from angry to simply hurt as his pain surrounded him in inescapable waves. She had no idea, she had no idea at all how painful it had been for him to kill her. He knew she'd never know it but it would have been easier for him to have stabbed himself a hundred times than stab her that once. The pain he had felt, the loneliness…he could not even put in in words.

"Did it EVER cross your mind?" he asked, his voice icy and cold and filled with sadness leaving her to just stand there in silence. Finding her speechless, Scam went on knowing he had her attention even if it was just until she started yelling at him again. "I loved you for as long as I can remember..." he breathed out, biting his cheek as the memory of him as a small, lost child came back to haunt him coupled with the image of the first time he had seen her peaceful, angelic face. The same face that had become the light of his day and reason to keep going. The same face that had made him love her only to break his heart into a billion, singed pieces.

Breathing deep, he clenched his fists to try and keep his urge to roar out in pain inside him as he continued. "I loved you so much..." he said, glancing into her eyes again with the very epitome of longing filled in his own. "And when we finally ended up together you left me," he whispered. Going over to her in slow steps, he held her by the shoulders and made her look him dead in the eyes before he went on. "You left me on our wedding night, do you..." He hissed in a breath of anguish as he slightly shook her body. "Do know what that felt like?"

Feeling his gaze burning into her like flares of fire nearly making her feel as if she was melting on the spot, Sam unconsciously found herself looking away from him to avoid his gaze. But Scam simply reached out and grasped her chin, making her look into his eyes again. Holding her jaw, he spoke in a gentle whisper. "I killed you because I was hurt...And it wasn't abnormal."

Seeing confusion mount on her face, Scam held her jaw a little harder and brought her face a little closer to his so she could see every emotion in his eye as he explained his words. "You tell me how you would feel if the one person you loved with all your heart was marrying another, after marrying you just because you weren't born rich," he said icily, Blinking her eyes, Sam shook her head, still confused over his words. Why was he dragging money into this? She remembered how she had been, and she had not been some kind of snob that would have shunned a man based on how much money he had in his pocket. Then why was he saying this? It made no sense.

"What do riches have to do with this?" she asked, voicing her confusion. Hearing her words, Scam stood before her completely still for a moment before he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. A long, painful, bitter laugh. Alarmed at why he was suddenly laughing at her question, Sam was about to ask him why when he suddenly craned his head forward and spoke in low growl. "EVERYTHING," he spat. "It has EVERYTHING to do with it."

Sam blinked her eyes slowly, not seeing what he meant at all. "What...what do you mean?" she asked slowly, wanting an explanation from him. Resisting the temptation to roll his eyes because this really was damn obvious and Sam was a smart girl, Scam remembered how when it came to him she seemed to not understand a thing and he explained his words to her clearly. "I was an orphan Samara, I had no inheritance to back me up."

Sighing. he continued. "Forget inheritance, I barely had a roof over my head. And contrary to what you may think, for most of my life I didn't care, I was happy with what I had." A small smile formed itself on Scam's lips as he remembered how happy he had felt at the end of each day he had survived on the streets while others of his kind died under that misery and hardship, how glad he had been at finding his first job and how proud he had been when he had bought his own small home.

But his smile saddened when he remembered the other thing that had kept him going in those times he felt like ending it all. The same thing he had lost and had lost himself with it. And she was standing right in front of him. "I was happy because I had a dream," he said, going on. "A dream that was foolish and unrealistic but a dream nonetheless."

Seeing her looking at him curiously, he kept talking. "There was one part of me that dreamt that one day I'd get to be with the girl I saw at age eight, a girl with such a big heart that she would love me for ME." A frown touched his lips at his foolishness. "And I believed in that despite claiming not to." Taking his hands off her shoulders and running them through his hair in frustration he paused before looking her in the eye again. "You wanna know when that dream shattered?" he asked, a bitter smile spilling onto his lips when she looked back at him blankly. Putting his hands back on her shoulders, he gripped them firmly before answering her. "When I heard that girl was getting married to a certain Lord David."

Sam's eyes went wide and a loud gasp escaped her mouth. Hearing it, Scam nodded his head. "That's right, she was YOU," he said confirming her doubts. "You're the girl I always loved." Hearing his words, Sam bit her cheek and looked down at her feet. She had thought after discovering his secret with the Devil that he had just known her for as long as she had known him and had married her to satisfy his lust and desires because she was a woman from the upper class and thus not attainable for one night.

Finding her silent, Scam spoke to her again in a drained, pain- filled voice. "You want to know what I did after that Samara? After my heart split in two at the news of your wedding?" he said and slowly she looked up at him as she said what she knew was true. "...You asked the devil to make me love you-"

"That would have been easier, I'll admit, but no," he said, cutting her off. "You're wrong. You've always BEEN WRONG," he said leaving confusion to reform on her face as she went quiet again. Letting go of her shoulders, he clenched his fists before messily running a hand through his hair out of frustration. "I made a bargain with the devil, I won't lie about that..." he said, running his hand through his hair again to release more of his pent up agitation. "But it wasn't for your heart," he said firmly. Her eyes widening, Sam looked at him with disbelief and shock on her face. He hadn't compelled her to love him? That wasn't it? Confusion pounding at her mind, she spoke to him in a hushed, quiet whisper. "You mean you..." she bit her lip. "You didn't force me to love you?"

Looking at her with a small, mocking smirk on his lips he nodded his head slightly in her direction. "You think I would, don't you? It seems to make sense right?" he said, a frown forming on his lips as he continued, looking her in her eyes. "Any selfish and lustful man would have had you thrown at his feet," he said, knowing the Devil's offer of gaining her heart had been an invitation to do just that. An invitation that he had strictly rejected.

Shaking his head, he looked at her with clear determination in his eyes. "But see Samara, I wasn't a selfish and lustful man, what I felt for you was love...love and nothing tainted." Looking at her pointedly, he spoke again. "And as far as I know, when you love someone you don't force them to do anything, least of all love you back."

Chewing on her lower lip, Sam looked at him curiously as she fiddled with her hands restlessly. "So then...what deal did you make?" She asked, wanting to know what it actually had been. If not her heart...then would other huge thing had he made a deal for?

"I made a deal so that you would know I exist," he said suddenly, leaving her more confused than she had felt yet. Looking at him with narrowed, lost eyes, she shook her head in lack of understanding. "What do you mean?" Realizing he really had to spell this out for her to get it, Scam looked at her firmly and asked her a question. "Remember how I said this had to do with money?" Watching her nod slowly he went on. "You were the daughter of a rich aristocrat, I was a lowly orphan, I had to find a way to be on your level Samara." Her eyes narrowing even more, Sam bit her lip harder as her confusion grew even more. She wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say to her. "...My level?" she whispered.

Letting out a long breath, Scam nodded his head. "Financially," he said making it absolutely clear. "I made a deal so that I would be wealthy and upper class like you so that you would actually see me and know I exist." Biting her cheek in thought, Sam nodded knowing that made sense even if she hadn't thought about it before. "What did you give in exchange for that? For the chance to be at my financial level, I mean?"

Rolling back his shoulders, Scam shook his head from side to side tiredly before looking back at her in exasperation. "Why does it matter?" he asked, not seeing the relevance to her question. It honestly didn't even matter, especially not anymore. Looking at her with exhausted eyes, Scam spoke in a small, hurt tone. "I thought you really loved me Samara, and I thought you'd love me no matter what, clearly I was wrong," he whispered, sealing his eyes tightly and shaking his head as if upset with his own thoughts and beliefs. "I was wrong about you ever loving me," he said, his feeling of rejection in every note of his low, tormented whisper leaving Sam completely quiet and at a loss for words.

Opening his eyes some time later, he turned to look at her again. "You have no idea what it's like to pine for someone, no idea at all..." he said, knowing she didn't. Any guy she had ever had her eyes on in this life as she was more free to meet them now was one she either ended up dating briefly and letting go of or getting over without a date because he was never her type. Sam had never fallen in love and she had never had to wait like he had. She had never had to wait for one glance, one smile, ANYTHING. She didn't know that kind of pain and something told him she never ever would. That she never would get how he had felt without her.

"And I have pined for you for one hundred years..." he said, going on gently before humiliation filled his tone as he looked away from her and frowned sadly. "Pined for a woman who never really loved me." Biting her lip harder, Sam kept quiet, not knowing what to say as a feeling of guilt was starting to bother her. And she tried to stop it from spreading throughout her but it didn't work because even though she was trying to ignore it, her mind knew, a hundred years was a really, really long time.

Turning his gaze back on her face, Scam looked at her with nothing but pain and brokenness in his eyes. "I'm no monster Samantha," he whispered, his jaw tense with pain, looking as if someone was tormenting him with a knife and cutting at him piece by piece right this second as he spoke. "I'm no demon but you have ALWAYS seen me as an enemy," he said, knowing that was how it had been. Even before he had become her enemy in this life, even before when she had supposedly loved him, all he had been was a enemy to her. Only an enemy, just an enemy despite yearning to be so much more.

"Yes I did kill you," he said, not denying that he had. "I did, because watching you marry another would have ripped out my heart but..." he paused and looked at her with pain-ridden, hurt-darkened eyes of misery. "I have regretted it," he said, his voice in a determined whisper. "Every day," he breathed out, stepping towards her. "Every hour," he took another step and stopped before her, looking her unblinkingly in her emerald eyes. "Every single moment since. And if I _could_ go back, I would."

Watching him quietly, Sam saw him clench his teeth and nod his head surely. "If it was in my power," he said. "I'd let you marry the man you wanted to. I'd let you marry Lord David." Sam felt her mouth slightly part as she stared at him in disbelief. Did he even know what he was saying?

Shaking his head, Scam continued. "But I can't. I can't do it," he said before letting out a bitter laugh filled with failure. "I can't even get you to LISTEN to me..." he said, from between his dark chuckle before he stopped and looked at her with deeply wounded eyes. "I could never get you to hear me out despite trying a hundred times!" he growled easily remembering how he had been turned away for days in a row when he had tried to talk to his wife. How she had shunned him without listening to any word he had to say to her. Even though he had pleaded. Even though he had kicked aside his manly pride and ego, and begged her. Begged her to not do what she had done. Begged her to hear his voice. But she hadn't. She never, ever had. Not even once. Not even for the sake of their marriage.

"So I lost my temper because I felt betrayed," he whispered coldly, his entire form shuddering with hurt making his anguish a hundred times more obvious. Holding up his hand even before she had a chance to tell him he was justifying himself again. something he was sure she was thinking because when it came to him all that crossed her mind was negative thoughts, he explained his previous words.

"Yes I was wrong," he admitted. "I was wrong to hurt you but I was hurt too," he said, not bothering to keep the betrayal, the heart wrenching disloyalty he had suffered out of his tone because it was useless. His pain had been bottled up inside him for one hundred years and had grown so strong that he could not longer keep it hidden inside no more. Looking at her again, he threw her a fatigued frown. "And I have paid for killing you severely. Paid by waiting and longing for a century, in such a way that you'll never, ever understand," he said, the expression on his face the very definition of frustration in this moment.

After his latest words, a moment of silence passed between them with Scam looking at her with those same, betrayed, restless eyes and Sam not being able to look at him out of the feelings swirling through her right now. Then very slowly, she let out a small, quiet question that had been bothering her throughout his words to her. "Why..." she took a deep breath, peeking up at him, "Why didn't you tell me any of this until now?" she said, wanting to know why he hadn't. She had known him, he had known her for the last three years. Why hadn't he brought his up before? Why had he waited this long?

Glancing at her with upset eyes, Scam hated how she thought it was so damn easy on him. She was seriously acting like he could have gone to her the moment he saw her and tell her everything and she would take it well. That he could go to her as a stranger and tell her of their marriage in a past life and tell her of how he had once worked for the Devil and she would be okay with that. Things which he knew she would not have done at all despite her words right now. Looking at her pointedly and smiling bitterly he answered her question with a few of his own. Questions that were so obvious, it almost hurt him to have to say them to her. "When was I supposed to tell you, Sam? On a mission?" he asked icily. "When you were running after me to throw me in jail?" he said and Sam immediately looked down at her feet realizing her mistake in asking that question.

"When would I have had the time Samantha?" he asked, it being a rhetorical question at this point because she too understood that he would not have had any time at all to do that. Sighing, he shook his head and spoke again in a distressed whisper. "And even if I had the moment to say one word to you...I didn't want to risk you remembering me like that because if you did," he said, snapping his eyes back to her lowered face, "Then you'd misunderstand me again. And then do you know what you would have done then?" he asked, taking a step towards her so she could hear him clearly. "After you found out who I was and who you were to me? And our past lives? After you remembered that I killed you? That I worked for the devil?"

Sam said nothing, continuing to look at her feet so he came closer and lifted her chin forcing her to face him as he answered the question himself. "You'd have run away from me again Samantha," he said firmly, his voice as cold as stone. "And I could not BEAR..." he hissed, grasping her jaw a little tighter as he looked at her with troubled eyes. "To have you run from me again like I was some monster. So I acted cold and uncaring, like a STRANGER just so it would look like I had nothing to do with you."

Moving his hand and stroking her cheek, he smiled at her sadly. "Just so you would not remember too soon and run away again." Sam bit her lip and stared back at him wordlessly, being able to do nothing but take in the sad smile on his lips. And when she saw how his lips were pulled up just slightly, tightly while hurt danced in his eyes, she knew that she had never seen anyone look so sad in all her life.

Letting out a sigh, Scam slightly traced her cheek with his thumb and index finger as he stepped slightly closer to her and looked her in the eye again. "Do you know how..." he took a deep, ragged breath before holding her cheek harder and pulling her face closer to his in an agitated way." How hard it's been to be near you and not tell you how much...I love you?" he asked, looking nothing but tired, strained and frustrated as if he was just about ready to blow up.

And she just stood there looking at him unblinkingly, never having known that Tim Scam was capable of even feeling pain before this moment. Regarding her face for a moment, Scam spoke in a soft whisper while tracing his finger around her hairline and outlining her face. "But I had to do it no matter how much it hurt."

Seeing her staring at him with slightly shocked eyes, the same look she had been giving him for some time

now, Scam sighed knowing she was surprised he even felt pain and hurt. And he was slightly regretting the emotionless persona he had painted before her in this life. Stepping away from her, he let out a small growl of agony.

"I went into depression Sam," he said, letting her hear what he had suffered because she hadn't been there to see it. "For years, I was in depression but then...that fateful day some four years ago when I saw you by accident, when I was roaming around this house and you came here one Halloween..." he said, and a smile formed on his lips unable to stop at the memory of having seen her after so long, and that to on the same date they had once married on. It had been the first time he had smiled after ninety-six whole years.

Seeing her look confused, he gave her all the details she needed to understand that small moment in her life which had been the most important one of his existence. "When you were volunteering and taking some kids from the orphanage trick or treating, and you led them away from this house...I saw you and I knew it was YOU." He said, his smile widening as he remembered that moment as if it had happened just a moment before. Every detail of it was still so fresh in his mind. So well-captured that he could paint a picture of exactly how it had been.

"I knew YOU were my Samara," he said still smiling. "So I began studying you and within a year I picked up on your high moral compass, your unreasonable fear of the dark, of ghosts, of this mansion...and," he looked at her with determined eyes. "I had a good feeling I was right that you were HER. So I found a way to be near you, as Tim Scam, the criminal you fought on missions, just to see if I got the same feeling I did around you as I did with Samara. And when..." he took a deep breath before looking at her with all his attention, his lips pressed into a thin line of concentration.

"And when..." he repeated before going on. "After hundreds of years I felt something stir in my dead heart...I knew it was YOU." He smiled at her in a small, sad helpless-looking smile as he kept his gaze fixed on her widened, shaky one. "I could never forget you Samara...Never, not for a moment." He sighed deeply, looking down and frowning before he glanced back up at her again looking completely vulnerable in a way she had never thought Tim Scam could ever look for anything. "You've been on my mind for the last one hundred years," he said, leaving her mouth to go dry and her eyes to soften while she looked at him wordlessly. Sighing again, Scam looked beyond frustrated. "And a hundred years is a very long time."

Sam's mouth slightly parted at his words and even more at all the blatant honesty in his voice that made it obvious that he wasn't lying about this, about any of this. Everything he was saying was coming straight from his heart. "You've been trapped in my memory," he said, starting to come closer to her again and Sam felt her mind pulsing faster and faster with every step he took towards where she stood frozen taking deep, slow breaths. "Your smile, your eyes, your voice..." Scam said, taking a deep, laboured breath as he took another step closer to her and kept looking at her in her eyes with dark, compassionate eyes. "Every moment I had with you, it's never been forgotten."

Noticing how she was standing there all wide-eyed and quiet, Scam realized that she might be thinking, that she might be scared of the fact that he had been thinking of her for a hundred years and might be taking that as him being obsessed with her. Letting out a hiss of pain, Scam clenched his fists at his sides and shook his head from side. She was thinking that again, wasn't she? The same thing she has thought the last time. The same way she reduced his deep, reverent feelings for her down to something dirty, twisted and sick. Feeling himself dying inside all over again at that memory, he knew he couldn't bear to have her think of his love for her as lust or something tainted and wrong again.

No, his heart was too cut up, too scarred from the last time to go through that again. Not wanting to suffer again, he quickly changed his mind and decided to tell her just what he had given up for her and why. And the real reason? It didn't even have to do with wealth, status or money. No, his decision to trade away his soul had been triggered by his own feelings and more than anything...how HE saw her.

Stopping his feet where they were not to intimidate her any further in case he was, he gave her a small, sad smile as he revealed to her the secret he had told no one to this day. "One hundred years ago, I traded away my soul to be near you..." he said, finally telling her of the sacrifice he had made and making her gasp in shock. Looking at her with piercing, honest eyes, he spoke with nothing but clear truthfulness in his voice. "And I didn't give my soul away because I was obsessed with you or wanted to possess you like some prize or trophy," he said, sighing heavily, as the look in his eyes became even deeper with honesty. "I didn't do it for power, for the fame, wealth, lust or greed," he confessed. "I did it because I loved you," he said roughly. "Simple, clean and honestly LOVED you. And I gave my soul away because I had no use for it."

Sam's jaw parted and she stared at him completely dumbfounded and bewildered. What did he mean by those last words? How could he say something like that? How could he not have a use for his soul? Didn't you need your soul to feel alive? To feel that you were actually living? To feel relevant? How could he say he had no need for it then?

Astonished beyond words, she kept looking at him waiting for him to explain what he had just said to her that had put her into a state of shock. Seeing her face and all the surprise on it, Scam smiled sadly knowing if he didn't say it, then she'd never get his point of view. That she'd never see what she meant to him just like before.

"I didn't need it..." he said, looking at her with unwavering eyes as he whispered his true feelings for her. "Because it was YOU who gave me happiness and made me feel alive." Watching her eyes nearly pop from her sockets and her jaw fall even more. He smiled harder. "Because it was YOU who made me feel complete," he breathed out before looking at her pointedly. "So I traded my soul for you because I knew that as long as I had you I didn't need my soul. Because to me..." he paused and flickered his gaze across her pale, shocked face before looking back straight into hers, and casting her look laden with integrity. "Because to me...my soul...was YOU."

A loud, shuddering gasp left Sam's mouth as she just stood there staring at the man before her with wide, shock-filled eyes at his expression of love for her. And slowly her eyes began to well up with tears at his words. She didn't think anyone could express love anymore than that. She didn't even think anyone could love anyone more than that. Her breaths began to come and go faster as the words ran through her mind over and over again. He saw her as his soul. He saw HER as his soul. His essence, his source of joy, his place of devotion, of purity, And to him that was all HER. She couldn't help but melt at what she had heard. She had never realized that she had meant that much to him and that left her looking at him with nothing but awe, deep, resonating awe in her gaze.

"I didn't need anything else but you," he continued, a small, painful smile on his lips. "You were all that I ever wanted." he said, leaving her breaths to become even shallower as her tears finally spilled out of her eyes falling down her face in messy lines as her dead heart clenched and released in her chest, pounding deep and fast, nearly acting alive in reaction to the words he had said to her. Words that were so filled with love, longing and waiting. Words that no other man had said to her and she suspected to no one else. The depth of love he had shown her left her stunned and she found her mind cursing slightly cursing at herself for ever thinking this man did anything but love her with all his heart. And then she found her mind asking herself only one question. How could she be so terribly wrong about him? How?

Shocked with herself, she kept peering at him, unable to look away as she took in all the pining, the love and compassion on his features. And she grew more and more disgusted with herself. She used to see him as a repulsive being because she had thought he was evil. But had what she done to him, leaving him to suffer for years on end because she couldn't spare a moment to hear him out, not worse? It was worse, so much worse and standing before him, feeling all his untainted, pure love for her surround her through his presence and overwhelm her, she felt like a failure. A woman who had failed in the worst possible way. By not recognizing love in its deepest form. By not seeing how much Tymothy, Tim Scam loved her.

Scam took a long look at her, as if memorizing every inch of her face before he spoke again, in a soft but firm tone. "But that was back then," he said tiredly, his composure changing to show that of a defeated man who had given up entirely. "By now I've accepted that you didn't love me and never will," he whispered, looking her in the eye as he let out a sigh. "That we're not meant to be and never will be."

Not having expected those words to come out of his mouth in a million years, Sam looked at him in shock and disbelief, her jaw dropping again as she stood jolted to her core. HE was saying that? Tymothy Scam? The man who had suffered longer than most people lived over her and waited endlessly for her? He was saying that now? When he had her here, with him in the house he had traded half of himself for? Where he had dreamt to live with her since forever? Why? How could he even give up...now?

Staring at him with her eyes as wide as saucers, Sam knew she didn't understand and seeing her lack of understanding, Scam let out a small sigh, upset but having expected her not to be able to read his reason even though it was painfully clear. "Remember how I said I'd never force you to love me?" he asked quietly. before continuing in a firm, even tone. "That still stands to this day."

Sam's eyes narrowed as she continued looking at him in misunderstanding, not seeing where he was going with this at all. _"What does he mean?" _Sam thought, as she just kept staring at his face questioningly in wait for an answer. Looking back at her determinedly, Scam whispered, "One hundred years ago and even now I would never want to hurt you, I would never cut you open or drink your blood or bathe in it, or do anything demonic or evil to you..." he trailed off and bit his cheek, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at her unswervingly. "I'd also never kill you," he said shaking his head slowly as if to make his point. "I made that mistake once and regretted it heavily, I would never do it again I'd never force you to stay with me. Married or not, I'd never force my will on you."

Her eyes narrowing even more, Sam looked back at Scam as nothing but confusion swerved around every bit of her mind. The way he was talking, the words he was saying, it was like he was implying that he didn't kill her this time. Biting her cheek, Sam kept looking at him, lost because that implication made no sense at all, She was sure she was dead. She had checked her heartbeat and her pulse and found both vacant. She had walked through walls as if she was made of air. She was definitely not alive anymore, and that was crystal clear.

But why then...was he making it sound otherwise? Why was he suggesting that she wasn't bound to this house as a spirit when she was? Not getting an answer to that on her own, Sam spoke to him in a quiet whisper as she tried to sort this out. "I...I don't understand," she said, furrowing her eyebrows as she racked her brain to make sense of his words. "I am stuck here," she said confusedly. "I can't go anywhere-"

"That's not true," he said firmly, shaking his head to tell her she was wrong. Blinking her eyes in further confusion, Sam spoke in a tangled whisper filled with all the perplexity she was feeling. "But.." she protested. "But my time to go to heaven or hell is over..." she said having picked up his implication on how that process worked from some of his earlier words. "I'm stuck here as a ghost, and that's how I'll always be," she said, knowing that was true.

Looking at her with angered eyes, Scam spoke in a hurt tone, an emotion that seemed to be a natural part of his voice by now. "You honestly think I'd be low enough to use that trick on you Samantha?" he asked, sounding beyond revolted. "Force you to stay and leave you no way to decide?" he hissed leaving her to close her mouth and just stare at him. Sighing from the pit of his lungs, Scam spoke again in a pained, worn-out voice. "By now I thought you'd know I'd never force you to do anything," he said, looking belittled. "Least of all stay with me."

Her eyes widening again, Sam blinked in shock before speaking in a stunned whisper. "What do you mean?" she asked, breathing hard and deep in confusion. Biting her lower lip, she chewed on it before breathing out, "I...I am not stuck here?" she asked, looking him in the eye. Nodding his head, Scam spoke firmly. "Not if you don't want to be," he said, only making her state of utter bewilderment grow. Looking at him with her eyes squinted into slits of puzzlement, Sam whispered. "...What are you-"

"It's true that your time to go to heaven or hell is up Samantha but that doesn't mean all doors are closed to you," he said, taking a step towards her and looking her stark in her restless eyes. "If you want to go back to your life... to your friends and your parents...it can happen."

Sam's eyes went wider than saucers and she gasped before shaking her head and looking at him in more shock than ever before. "Wh-what?" she squealed out, her tone messed up from all the confusion that was pounding through every inch of her brain. He was saying that she could g back to her mom and dad? To WOOHP? To Clover and Alex? But that didn't make sense...right? Taking shaky breaths, Sam looked at him uncertainly. "I can go back...to my life?" She bit her lip in confusion. "Does that mean I..."

"Yes, you can live again," he said smiling and Sam felt her haw drop again, as she stared at him with wide eyes, barely even moving from surprise. Looking at her with honest, caring eyes, Scam spoke again. "I can make it happen Samantha," he said firmly as he pointed at her. "All you need to do is say the word and it will happen." Finding her speechless he smiled harder and told her of the option she had thought he would steal from her. "You tell me you want that and you will be back in your body," he whispered assuredly. "You will be able to walk out of this house unharmed in any way." Seeing her eyes widen even more, he nodded his head again, telling her what he was saying was no lie. "Yes Sam..." he said, smiling at her with all his love in his eyes. "You will no longer be dead."

"How..." Sam breathed out, taking a step towards him and looking at him in disbelief. "How can you do that?" she asked, breathlessly. Shrugging his shoulders, Scam shook his head. "That does not matter," he said firmly before going back to the point. "If you want to be alive, just say the word." Staring at him, Sam narrowed her eyes, having noticed how he had avoided answering her question about how he could make what he was saying possible. And for some reason she had a feeling something was wrong.

There was a twisting, a deep, foreboding twisting in her gut that was warning her. Warning her that if she wasn't careful, something terrible was about to happen. And she didn't need to think twice to know that this feeling was stemming from his latest offer to her to let her live again. Deciding to listen to her instincts, Sam took a step closer to him and asked her question again. "But how?" she asked demandingly, looking him in his eyes. "How can you make it happen?"

Looking away from her, Scam didn't answer her question. He said nothing for a long moment, simply looking away and Sam was about to ask him again when he suddenly spoke. "In the last one hundred years I have grown strong Samantha," he said, slowly looking at her again. "You know that," he said looking at her pointedly as he crossed his arms over his chest calmly. "Because of my powers that I have continually expanded in the last century I was able to pass as almost human. You could never tell I was dead when I walked amongst humans." Sam said nothing, simply staring at him while the eerie feeling in her gut grew worse and worse. She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this but whatever it was, her instincts were telling her, it was not good at all.

"My powers are so strong now that I can do nearly anything," he said, now smirking a little bit and looking like the Tim Scam she had known in this birth. "I can give you back your life if that is what you ask," he said confidently, with no trace of doubt in his tone letting her know he was dead serious about this. And Sam bit her lip harder as she looked at him, now in concern as her instincts began terrifying her. He was still dodging her question and talking around it and that made her believe her feelings were right and he was hiding something from her that he didn't want her to know. Something that directly related to this proposal of returning her life to her.

She said nothing and tried reading his face for a moment, but she found no answer there. Knowing she had to know, Sam decided to ask him her question in a way that he could not roam around it. "But at what cost?" she asked, looking at him pointedly, letting him know she wanted his answer to that.

But Scam only averted her eyes and frowned softly as if bothered by her asking him this. And when he said nothing for several moments, Sam caught onto his strange silence at her uncomplicated question and asked him again. "At what cost?" she urged. He stayed silent for another moment, looking deep in thought before he let out a sigh and shook his head. "I told you...it does not matter," he said, but his eyes were stuck to the floor. Not satisfied with his response, Sam stepped closer to him and slightly touched his shoulder. Feeling him tense, her instincts fuelled harder and she spoke again, repeating the same question he was refusing to answer. "What's the price Tim?" she asked.

Biting his cheek, Scam tried to figure out what to say. He didn't want her to know what he'd have to do in order for her to live again and he hadn't even expected her to ask, nor care. But she was asking and he knew he had to give her some kind of response. Thinking for a moment, he nodded his head to himself, knowing what to say and he looked down at her and spoke with an open smile on his lips. "For you? Very little."

Her breath catching in her throat, Sam stared at him in fear and concern. The way he had said that made it obvious there was a price to be paid. Something that had to be done or given up in order for her to live again. Something that he was more than willing to pay. But remembering how far he had gone for her in the past, Sam went pale and looked at him more worried than ever. And she knew she didn't like where this was going at all now. Not one bit. Biting her lip, Sam wondered how to get it out of him. It was obvious he was not willing to tell her and that bothered her more than anything. What could it be? What price was it that he was going to give up for her now? What...what did he have left? Was there anything he even had left to give up? He didn't even have a soul now to trade for-

Suddenly, Sam froze on the spot, getting an idea as to it might be, Sam felt her eyes widening and her heart fall in her chest. Could that be it? Could THAT be what he was willing to give up? Worried to death, and needing to know, Sam looked up at him again and began questioning him more specifically. "Will...will it hurt you?" she breathed out, slightly gripping his shoulder tighter. "Will it cause you pain?"

Glancing back at her, Scam let out a laugh, stunning her as her question was not a funny one. Getting a hold on his laughter, Scam looked at her pointedly. "Ghosts feel no pain," he said informing her. "Not physical anyway," he said, knowing he had been dead for one hundred years ever since the Devil had taken his life after he had deemed his heart was hard enough to be in hell after murdering Samara, and emotionally suffering regardless.

Seeing her looking at him still with questioning eyes, he knew she was now wondering if what he had to do was going to hurt him on the inside. Shaking his head, he cleared up to her why that did not even matter. "And my heart has been in pain for the last one hundred years, I'm used to it," he said letting her know she didn't need to feel guilty for that but Sam's face only twisted up further in apprehension and worry because his answers hadn't soothed her blaring instincts. No, they had only made them worse. Looking at him firmly, Sam tried again because she desperately needed to know if her suspicion was right. And she prayed to God it wasn't. He couldn't make that sacrifice for her. He just...couldn't.

"...Answer me Tim..." she said shakily, looking him in the eye. "Will it hurt you?" This time he said nothing, not even a cryptic indirect answer as she had not bought his earlier ones. And when he pushed her hand off his shoulder gently and turned his back to her to not have to face her, Sam's heart hammered in her chest as her suspicion become nearly confirmed. He wasn't talking to her anymore, he wasn't even looking her in the eyes, as if whatever it was he was set to sacrifice next was going to be too much for her to handle. And Sam knew there was only one thing left that he had to give that she would not be able to bear. Unable to stop herself, Sam asked him if that was it because she could not take the burden of worried curiosity anymore.

Staring at his turned back, Sam took a shuddering breath before finally saying that which was on her restless mind. "Will you...exist?" she breathed out. And the moment she said that, she saw him tense up again, easily seeing how the muscles of his back seemed to bunch at her question. And her sinking feeling became almost unbearable. Taking a step closer to him, now nearly knowing the truth, Sam asked him the same question again.

"Tim...will you exist?" He said nothing still and moments upon moments of quiet passed between them leaving her frightened before he finally turned his head over his shoulder and looked at her with pained, honest eyes. "In your memories...if you choose to think of me..." he whispered hauntingly before he blinked and shook his head. "Otherwise...no."

Sam's eyes went wide as she saw clearly now, just where he was going with this. And the answer, shook her to her core. "You mean if you do this..." she said, looking at him shakily. "If you give me back my life-"

"I will be no more," he said confirming her doubts and leaving her to go absolutely still where she stood and stare at him unblinkingly. Seeing all the shock on her face, Scam knew she didn't know how this exchange would work out. Not wanting her to worry about it, he decided to tell her. "To put you back in your body, I'd have to harness all my power, every, single bit," he said, shrugging, knowing that was what it was going to take. "And if I do that Samantha then even my spirit..." he whispered, looking at her. "The only thing that is left of me will be drained."

Seeing her jaw part as soon as those words left him, he knew she had figured out just what he was meaning by this. "Yes.." he said, nodding his head to make it clear for her. "I will disappear forever." Moving her jaw back up with great effort, Sam looked at Scam with awe and shock embedded in her eyes at the sacrifice, the huge, priceless sacrifice he was so ready, so completely willing to make for her sake. And she found herself speaking in a hushed, stunned whisper. "You'd..." she breathed out, a tremble passing through her skin as she kept staring at him with her heart racing uncontrollably in her dead chest. "You'd...do that just for ME?" she asked quietly.

Looking at her, Scam smiled gently knowing that this woman who was naively asking him this question had always been his life, even if she didn't know it. And knowing he would never hesitate to do a thing for her as long as she asked for it. Yes, as long as she was happy he would do anything to make it so. He would die a million deaths, the most painful and severe. He would do anything and everything in his power.

Even this.

"There isn't anything,..." he said, his smile widening on his lips as he gave her answer with his eyes looking into hers truthfully. "I wouldn't do for you."

And hearing his answer, a gasp left Sam as her heart burst in her chest before tears exploded from her eyes like unstoppable waterfalls. Standing there, Sam kept crying loudly simply unable to stop her sobs.

Scam's eyes widened and his mouth parted as he failed to understand what he had done to hurt her again. Hating to see her cry, Scam raced towards her before asking her breathlessly. "What's wrong Samantha?" he asked, looking at her with concern, and worry on his face. "Why are you crying?"

Hearing his pained, hurt and bewildered voice, Sam paused in her sobs and looked up at him with nothing but disbelief and awe showing in her gaze. "How..." she whispered out, breathing deep as she looked at him with pure amazement. "How can you love ME so much?" she asked, not understanding how he could at all. "How can you love me after everything I've done?" she asked, her eyes teary and her voice in a stunned whisper as she recalled how poorly she had treated him.

Scam's eyes widened and his mouth parted but he said nothing because he didn't know what to say. Had she just said those words? Sam...she finally thought he loved her? That he felt love for her? LOVE and not...obsession? Could it really be? Shocked, and not wanting to get his hopes up, he stayed silent and just looked at her with quiet, questioning eyes.

Taking a deep breath and knowing she had to say this before she simply exploded, Sam shook her head furiously as her tears kept falling. "I was wrong about you..." she whispered, looking him in his eyes. "I was so wrong." She took another shuddering breath before wiping away her tears and looking at him guiltily, while she sniffled. "I thought that you couldn't love because I thought you were evil..." she said, her tears falling again at how terribly incorrect she had been about him. Staring at him with honest eyes, Sam nodded her head, knowing it was time to admit that which she now knew to be truer than anything she had ever known. "But now I see that..." she said, looking at him defeated. "No one can love me... love ANYONE... more than you have."

Hearing her words, Scam froze on the spot, not even breathing, And slowly, very, very slowly, his mouth parted a little but and his eyebrows rose. Was she saying that...could she be saying THAT which he had been hoping for but never thought possible? Could it be?

Not having it in him to wait for anything anymore after what he had endured, Scam slowly reached out and held her shoulders and spoke in a restless whisper. "Does that mean..." he took a deep breath as his eyes widened a little as he stared at her hopefully, "Does that mean that...you'll stay?"

Smiling at him sadly, Sam didn't make him wait to hear her response. "...I can't leave you," she whispered firmly, knowing she didn't have the strength in her to run away from him again. Not anymore. Not when she'd rather die all over again instead of let him go. Smiling harder, she shook her head decisively. " I...won't leave...not anymore."

She watched his mouth part even more as his hands fell from her shoulders and Sam had a feeling she knew what was on his mind now that was keeping him from going ahead and touching her the way he had every right to. Moving closer to him, not wanting to have any distances between them anymore, Sam gently held his face and pulled it closer to her own. Staring at his stunned, quiet face, Sam knew that he might be thinking that while she finally understood that he loved her, she didn't love him as he had made himself believe she never would. And it pained her to think he thought she was staying with him out of guilt, something that could not be further from the truth.

Refusing to have any more misunderstandings between her and her husband, Sam gently stroked his face as she looked him deep in his eyes and said what she knew she had to say to him. "I love you Tymothy..." she said, smiling happily as she brushed her nose against his gently. "Tim..." she whispered, using his modern name as she peered into his eyes and looked at him with all the love he deserved, all the love that she felt for him inside her. "I do love you so much." Seeing that he didn't move regardless of her confession, Sam knew he was still shocked and needed a little more proof of her feelings. Knowing how to give that to him, Sam smiled harder before bringing his head down even closer to her and softly kissing him on the lips.

And feeling her kissing him, Scam couldn't stop his lips from bursting out into a small smile against hers. And slowly, when he finally allowed himself to break down all his defences and accept that this was really happening, that he was finally getting his deepest desire, he kissed her back. His lips moved against hers gently for a moment, returning her soft kiss with one of his own before he suddenly made a fist of her hair and pushed her face closer to his own. Letting her gasp against his mouth at his sudden impatience, Scam ran his tongue along her lower lip before biting into it softly, telling her he wanted entrance and she gave it to him a quick second later as she let her mouth fall open to his waiting one.

Letting out a low growl against her lips, Scam dipped his tongue into her mouth and ran it along the walls of her cheeks before tracing the outline of her tongue. Feeling her temperature rising, Sam let out a small moan before taking part again. Taking a step closer to him, raising her hands she clutched his shoulders and pulled him right into her as she moved her tongue out from under his and twisted it around his. Their tongues knotted together before letting go and exploring each other's mouths. They took their time, letting their tongues trace every bit of each other's mouths while their hands roamed each other's bodies.

Scam's hands fell from her hair and went down her back in a straight line as he traced the arches of her back while Sam's hands drifted from his shoulders down his back, taking in his powerful shoulder blades and strength of his strong form. They kept each other close, kissing more and more fervently until they both felt their minds swirling from lack of air and they finally broke the kiss, kissing in small, gentle pecks until they pulled away breathless.

Smiling and breathing deep, Sam looked into Scam's eyes with her own dark and hungry while she kept herself in the circle of his embrace. And feeling how her legs were nearly useless from just one kiss, she knew she wanted more of him. She wanted him to kiss her more than once. She wanted to explore more than his mouth. Smirking slightly and feeling her toes curl in excitement, she knew she now wanted to do that which she had caused to be delayed until now. She wanted to consummate their marriage.

Tracing her hands up his chest, Sam slightly fisted the material of his shirt and looked him deep in his beautiful eyes. "Well?" she said expectantly. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her confused. "Well...what?" he asked slowly. Realizing her husband needed a bigger hint, Sam bit her lip and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down so that he was looking her right in her eyes when she spoke. "I thought we were married Tim..." she said, smiling as she pressed her body against his in a way that he could feel all her curves. "And it's our anniversary today so..." she blushed softly, looking at him wantingly. "Shouldn't we be...celebrating it?"

His eyebrows rose as he caught her drift and he smiled realizing that his Sam was really accepting him as her husband. After all this time, she finally wanted him as much as he wanted her. That thought sinking in, Scam smiled harder and moved fast to get on with what they both wanted more than anything. "Of course..." he said. drawing her closer to himself and speaking against her lips. "How could I forget," he uttered huskily, making her blush hot as he bent down and lifted her up, carrying her bridal style as he began walking towards their bedroom upstairs. Smiling as he mounted the stairs with her in his arms, Sam reached out and pulled his head closer to hers as she kissed him eagerly, hoping their destination would come soon.

A moment later, too impatient to wait till the walk was over as Sam's kisses were tempting him endlessly, Scam transported them both to the master bedroom. Walking over to their bed in fast steps, he put her down on it before joining her. Climbing into bed, he leaned over her and looked down at the woman laying there beneath him. His eyes went from her beautiful face which currently showed all the signs of desire, from the blush on her face to her split mouth and darkened eyes to her chest which was heaving as she took deep, rough breathes of anticipation as she stared back at him thirstily.

And he found himself hardly believing this picture was real. He had just waited so long for this, he almost wanted to pinch himself and make sure he wasn't dreaming. But when he heard her whisper his name in a rough, breathy whisper and felt her pull at his shoulders in an attempt to bring him closer, he realized quickly that this was no false image. It was real. It was all real. And his Samara was finally all his.

Letting his realization fill his mind and take away any doubts, Scam moved down and crashed his lips against her own in a deep, passionate kiss, finally kissing her in the way he had been waiting to kiss her ever since she had left him on their wedding night. His lips moved fervently against hers, kissing her without mercy as he remembered how much he loved her and craved her while his hands began to roam her body. Scam's hands moved down her arms, to the sides of her chest, brushing against the sides of her breasts and leaving her gasping as he kneaded the area from over her skin-tight spy suit.

Moaning under him as she felt his strong hands caressing her in untouched places, Sam kissed him back harder while she arched her body against his in a silent request for him to keep going. Understanding her with her body language, Scam continued and moved one of his hands down past her waist to her thigh. Using his fingers, he trailed her outer thigh with his fingertips before using it to wrap her leg around his waist. Securing her leg around him, he broke their kiss and brought his lips lower down her body as he left a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down her throat, while he licked and sucked her gentle skin. Feeling his teeth scraping along her neck, Sam pressed her head hard against the soft pillows as she curved her neck up higher to give him all access to it while she hungered for his touch everywhere on her skin.

Smiling against her flesh, he took full advantage of her help and bit into the hollow of her throat, marking her as his before he stroked the pierced spot with his tongue, massaging it and leaving her shuddering under him. Moaning as she felt him commit insidious tortures onto her vulnerable form and move at a snail's pace, Sam decided to take things faster. Moving her hands, she felt around the bed and found his where they were pressed beside her. Gripping them aggressively, she pulled them onto her body, making them trace up her hips her, stomach, and her abdomen before she stopped them at her covered chest and let out a demanding groan.

Hearing her and realizing she wanted more and fast, Scam catered to her wishes and pulled his head out of her neck. Looking down at her flushed, hot face he reached down and took the zipper of her spy suit in his fingers. Pulling it down, he began exposing her chest slowly, but the moment he saw her milky, white skin that was hiding underneath, he dropped the zipper and instead grabbed the collar of her spy suit. And in the next moment he had ripped it open. Gasping in surprise, Sam looked up at him with a blush only to find him smirking before he slammed his mouth onto hers again. Pressing into her, he let her feel his chest crushing hers as his form enveloped her own before he suddenly sat up with her still against him.

Still kissing her, he raised one hand and made a fist of her hair as he held her dark, luscious locks up from her neck. With his other hand he grabbed the back of her spy suit and began peeling it off her back. His hand moved fast and rolled down the stretchy fabric. When it refused to let go of her easily as it was made to stick to her under any circumstance, he let out a frustrated growl before he dropped his hold on her hair and snatched up the back of her suit in both hands. Pulling the stubborn cloth apart in one, quick tug, he tore it off, leaving a large gap where the back of her spy suit once used to be.

Her back finally exposed, Scam traced his hands up her skin and felt up from her lower back to her spine in slow strokes. Shivering against his lips as his warm hands heated her, Sam broke their kiss and slowly traced her lips across his face, kissing his left cheek then his right, then his forehead before she dragged her lips across his strong, smooth jaw line just as his hands drifted to the clasps of her bra. Pulling at the band, he snapped one clap open and then the next leaving her bra to loosen and fall open before he began nipping at her ear.

Feeling him nibbling on her ear while her chest was forgotten, Sam groaned, feeling uncomfortable with her half undone bra as the front of her spy suit, while torn, was still holding it in place. Wanting to rid herself of her discomfort and move on in their lovemaking as he was still moving slow, Sam surprised him by using her leg's hold on his waist and rolling them over in bed so that she was on top. Sitting over him, Sam straddled him at his waist, bending her knees on either side of his body before she brought her hands up and rolled down what was left of the front of her spy suit to her hips.

When her front was nearly exposed, as only her bra remained, limply covering her breasts, Scam ran his eyes downwards, running them over the edges of her bra, across the white skin of her stomach and finally up her cleavage. Seeing him eyeing her chest, Sam smiled, deciding to do what he had been taking forever to do and taking her bra off her chest fully as she dragged the straps down her arms and tossed it aside. Letting him get a good, unobstructed view of her breasts, she waited a moment before she stretched out on top of him and kissed him, letting her breasts dangle down and rub against his chest seductively.

She kissed him softly before kissing him harder and pressing her lips firmly against her husband's mouth as she took in the texture and feel of his lips. Breaking the kiss a second later, but keeping her mouth near his she darted her tongue out and slowly licked his lips before working her tongue into his mouth.

Feeling her tongue prodding at his lips and asking for entrance, Scam kissed her back instantly, thrusting his tongue up to meet hers while he brought a hand up and gripped her hair to secure his hold and pull her back under him, but she let out a mewl against his mouth and pushed it away before she broke their kiss. Staying against him, she brought her hands up to the collar of his shirt and gripped it tightly. Wanting to see the strong, chiselled body she knew that was just hidden behind his clothes, the body that belonged to her now as he was hers for all eternity, Sam growled as she snatched up the white fabric in her fists and pulled at it roughly in an attempt to rip it open.

And a moment later, after she had tugged and fisted it into weakening, it fell open to her finally letting her peek at his chest. Her eyes glazed over and turned coal dark the sight of his perfect form and she shamelessly eyed and outlined all his muscles with her finger, the strong planes of his chest before dripping her gaze and index finger down his abdomen right up to where his black jeans hid the rest of him. Wanting to see all of him, and too aroused to be shy at all now, she leaned back and brought her hands down to the buckle of his belt as she hastily began to undo it to relieve him of his jeans, only to be stopped when he reached up and grabbed her waist and rolled them over so that she was trapped under him again.

Looking up at him as he lay over her, effectively stopping her from attacking his jeans, Sam let out a groan of protest, and Scam let out a small chuckle at how impatient she was right now. While he wanted to do what she wanted to her more than anything, he had waited a long time for this and he wanted to take his time and touch and see every inch of her surface before he entered her. Feeling her hands try to move back to his belt, Scam moved fast and grabbed them before pinning them up above her head with one of his hands. Hearing her let out another moan of impatience, he smiled, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead before he brought his hands down and grabbed her ruined spy suit where it lay bunched at her waist.

Dragging it down he exposed her thighs and long, creamy legs to his waiting gaze. Tossing the green cloth to the floor, he traced his palm up her smooth legs and traced her well-built, spy-trained figure while she squirmed under him and twisted her hands in his grip, trying to get them free so she could touch him again. Holding her hands tighter against the surface of the mattress, Scam crawled his fingers in between her legs and dribbled his fingertips across her inner thigh.

Feeling her eyes rolling back in her sockets from bliss and pleasure, Sam stopped struggling to accelerate things and let him take his time doing what he wanted with her because it was obvious he knew just how to ignite her body and knowing she wanted to burn. Surrendering herself to his wonderful hands, Sam moaned and hissed in response to his caresses while hoping he wouldn't make her wait too long for release.

Feeling her stop fighting with him to speed this up, Scam smiled as he took in her hisses and moans as he worked her body with his hands, touching and exploring every, single millimetre of her form and holding it in his mind. His hands trailed up from her thighs to her waist, running across her waist line before they travelled to her chest. Staring at her breasts for a moment, taking in the look of her soft curves, he gently cupped them in his hands and rubbed his palms against them. Gasps left Sam's mouth from time to time as he stroked and teased one of her most vulnerable areas into submission. When he received his intended outcome, Scam brought his lips down to her right breast and gently took it in his mouth.

Feeling his mouth sucking at her breast, Sam arched her back and moaned out his name at the top of her lungs. Her hands moved down and clutched his shoulders while she dug her nails into them from over the material of his shirt that was still unfairly on his form. She clawed her nails into him as he kept teasing her mound with his mouth and thrashed under him when he moved to her other breast and did the same. "T-Tim!" Sam screamed, turning to liquid completely as her skin burned like fire and sweat beaded at her forehead. She was certain she was going to explode right there. Wanting release desperately, Sam tugged at his torn shirt violently to get his attention.

Feeling her shuddering and pulling at him aggressively, Scam knew she didn't want to wait anymore. But he knew he still wasn't done with her. Pulling his mouth off her breast for a second, he sat up and threw off his torn shirt from his body before lowering down to her again after giving her a chance for compensation for torturing her body by letting her punish his bare back with her nails as much as she wanted to. Bringing his mouth back to her chest, he shoved his head between her breasts and bit the valley hidden there deeply and roughly leaving her to gasp out his name and scratch lines and patterns into the smooth skin of his back erratically.

"Ti-tim…mmm…" She moaned helplessly while her body grew weaker and weaker and she wasn't sure how much more she could take without him giving her what she really needed. She felt him shift and move down, placing kisses against her waist line before he attacked her thighs with his mouth. Her stomach jumping around inside itself and her limbs turning almost dormant as he drained her, Sam knew she couldn't wait another second. Seizing her chance, she used all her remaining strength to spread her legs where his mouth was hovering as a signal for him to take.

And when he paused in his tantalizing ministrations and looked up at her, Sam let out a deep moan, arching her body against his and letting him know she urgently needed him the way she had been begging for, right this moment.

Hearing his wife's needful call and realizing she really was at her limits, he decided to give her what she wanted. After all, he had all of eternity to figure out what areas of her body made her moan and hiss and beg for more, and forever to hear her moan under him in this bed, but tonight was about them sealing their bond as husband and wife and consummating their marriage of so long ago.

Smiling at those thoughts, Scam pulled his head away from her thigh and got off her. Standing up, he quickly removed the jeans she had been attacking before, and pulled her last article of clothing, her underwear down her legs and off her body. Tossing both aside, he crawled back on top of her and stroked her forehead as he looked down at her with loving eyes. "Say it," he whispered demandingly. And Sam who had been smiling, thinking he was finally giving her what she wanted, looked at him confusedly. "S-say…what?" she asked.

Smiling harder, he peered into her eyes and cupped her cheek. "Say you love me," he said, wanting to hear her say it again because he had waited so long to hear that from her and he wanted to be absolutely sure she did before he took her. Breathing deep and looking back at him with dark, heady, eyes that were filled with lust and desire, Sam took a moment to form a response. "I do..." she breathed out, before fixing him with a small pout. "But...I won't love you if..." she said, trailing off and holding the rest of her words.

Concerned at what the condition of her loving him was as she had just said there was something, Scam looked at her worriedly. "But, what?" he asked, waiting to hear her response with his breath stuck in his lungs. Reaching out, Sam stroked his cheek and smirked slightly. "But...I won't love you if..." Her smirk grew deeper. "If you don't keep going..." she whispered leaving his eyes to widen before a smirk of his own stretched across his lips at her words.

And before she had a chance to tease him again, just like she just had, he positioned his body over hers and brought himself down onto her quickly leaving her to moan harder than ever as her hands reached up and dug into his shoulder blades deeply. "Mmm..." Sam purred, twisting her nails into his skin and fluttering her eyelids in satisfaction as she felt him moving inside her, finally making their marriage complete.

And on the wall before them, where their portrait hung in the dark, the marred face of the woman in pink re-appeared, smiling happily while the man's smirk changed into a small smile that radiated joy on his face, at last, fully complete again.

* * *

><p>A yawn escaping her lips, sleep slowly washed away from her senses. Blinking her eyes, Sam rubbed them and woke to find herself laying against her husband with the side of her head pressed against his chest and his strong arms draped around her waist protectively while she lay in their bed. And almost automatically, a grin burst onto her lips. It was hard to explain and put into words but with him, she felt like she was alive even though she knew she was dead. Just last night he had made her dead heart beat and pound in her chest as he made feelings rush through her mind and body endlessly.<p>

Smiling as she lay there, huddled against his warm, masculine form she knew she finally got how he was able to live without his soul before. She was kind of having the same feeling right now, right at this moment. Smiling harder, Sam knew that having something more important than her life made her feel like her death was worth it. _"And Tim..."_ she thought, feeling her deceased heart move around again just at the thought of the man who was laying next to her. _"He's so worth it." _

To be honest while she was elated with glee at the moment, deep down she knew she didn't even deserve him, nor his undying, beautiful love. But for some reason God had chosen her to be the one to receive this gift, the gift of his love and presence. And she knew she hadn't appreciated it the first time, she knew she had done him wrong, but never again.

Glancing at his handsome face in the late afternoon rays of sunlight lovingly, Sam nodded her head to herself determinedly. Never again would she treat him wrong, or leave him to suffer or be alone. Never again would she doubt his love. No, from now on she was going to love him back with the same devotion, loyalty and ferocity that he had shown her. Now, and for the rest of eternity.

Looking at him with awe-filled eyes, Sam grinned and snuggled into Scam, wanting to be as close to him as possible only to end up making him wake up as he began moving around under her. Soon his eyes drifted open and he looked down at her where she lay clutching his form and staring at him. Smiling at her, he brought his head down and gave her a short, sweet kiss before stroking her hair and speaking against her lips. "Happy anniversary, darling."

Smiling back at him, Sam whispered happily. "Happy one hundredth anniversary to you too." Smiling harder, he pulled back and held his hand out in a fist. "Here, I got you something," he said before closing his eyes. Opening them after a moment, he smiled again and opened his palm and Sam let out a gasp when she saw what was sitting there. Her wedding ring, the same ring he had married her with while she had been known as Samara. Looking at him with awe-filled eyes, she spoke in a gentle, hushed whisper. "You...kept it," she said leaving him to nod and smile all over again. "Yes, close to my heart with all your memories," he said before taking her left hand in his and placing the ring back on her ring finger where it fit perfectly.

Running his thumb over it, he remained smiling but soon there were sobs coming out of Sam's mouth. Alarmed, he looked up at her to find her sitting there against him with clearly teary eyes. His eyes widening, he looked at her in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, before biting his cheek and looking at her apologetically when he figured what it might be. "You...miss your home and family, Clover and Alex, WOOHP?" he asked, expecting her to nod but she shook her head. "No..." she said, tears still trickling down her face. "I just...I feel bad," she whispered sadly, looking down from him. Confused, he lifted her chin and made her look into his eyes. "Why?" he asked, wanting to know why his dear Samara was feeling bad about anything.

Staring at him with sad, guilty eyes, Sam sniffled. "Because..." she started, still crying. "You made such a huge sacrifice for us to be together...you gave up your soul and I..." she bit her lip sadly. "I didn't let it be worthwhile." Letting out sigh of misery, Sam shook her head in despair. "I caused so much pain..." she mumbled, knowing she had. "I caused our deaths, I made you wait one hundred years for me and I..." her breath staggered in her throat as her chest felt heavy as she remembered one of the worst things she had done.

"...I took away Natalia and Ava," she sobbed out, before looking down and away from him again, unable to look at him. And she kept crying bitterly because while she knew she had him, she was the one who had blown her chances to have a family with her husband and to ever be a mother.

Watching her cry, Scam frowned before picking up her chin and making her face him again. "Why are you so upset?" he asked, stroking away her tears with his thumbs and stroking her cheeks as he gave her a small mile. "I'm not angry at having to wait, this is worth it Samantha," he said, smiling harder.

Sniffling, Sam looked at him sadly, "But, we're dead," she mumbled. Shaking his head, Scam looked at her pointedly. "That doesn't matter to me." Nodding at him, Sam bit her cheek as she spoke in a sad whisper. "It doesn't matter to me either but..." she sighed heavily. "Natalia and Ava...they matter to me."

Pulling away from him, Sam hid her face in her hands and began sobbing again. "I took their chance to live away," she cried. "And that burden will always be on my soul," she said, knowing those children would have been beautiful, perfect and wonderful. A combination of him and her, symbols of their love, and she had taken that all away forever. As she cried harder at her mistake, he pulled her hands away from her face and held them in his own as he looked at her seriously. "You... want Ava and Natalia?" he asked.

Her breath catching in her throat, Sam stared at him for a long moment before she shook her head, realizing there was probably going to be a price for them, a bad price. A price she knew he was more than willing to pay as he had nearly just paid it for her just last night. "Not at the cost of you," she said firmly, fearing that he might trade himself for them and knowing she couldn't bear to be away from him anymore. Smiling at how much she loved him now, Scam stroked her hair and shook his head. "No it won't cost me."

Looking at him curiously, Sam chewed on her lower lip worriedly. "What will it cost then?" she asked, terror clear in her tone. "I know I can't have them like I could before-"

Placing his index finger against her lips, he silenced her. Smiling at her, he spoke assuredly. "Never underestimate the power of love Samantha. It can do anything." Reaching up and holding his hand, she pulled it away from her mouth and held it close to her heart. Looking at him with doubt on her face, Sam bit her cheek. "Even..." she took a deep breath and gave his hand a squeeze. "Even make us parents?" she asked softly.

Pulling her back in his arms, he ran his fingers through her hair and looked into her eyes with a smirk on his lips as he held her close to his chest. "You never know..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>1 Year Later <strong>_

Moving through the late afternoon streets of Los Angeles, near the street where their mansion stood, a couple, invisible to the eyes of the world walked together in peace. But they were not alone.

Smiling, Scam looked at the pink bundle he held carefully in his arms that was moving slightly as she slept comfortable in his arms. His little Ava. And next to him, his wife, Samantha was carefully cradling in her embrace, their second child and Ava's twin. A baby Natalia.

Watching Sam as she kept glancing at her daughter's face, over and over while they walked, Scam smiled harder and spoke to her in a knowing way, as she was always like this with her children, never even for a moment, looking away from them. "Even though they've been here for three months...you still don't believe they exist right?" he said and a smile formed on Sam's lips. Her husband, her darling Tim, always just knew what she was thinking.

Turning to him, she nodded her head. "How can I believe it?" she whispered, awe filling her voice as she looked back at her children again. "It's a miracle..." she breathed out knowing just one year ago she had thought she'd never be able to bring their children into the world. But it had happened and she was happier than ever. Looking at her daughter for a long moment, and tracing her cheek, Sam smiled when her little girl gurgled and blinked her sea-foam eyes innocently.

Glancing back at her husband, Sam looked at him curiously, a question now on her mind. "Can all...ghosts have children?" she asked wonderingly. Shaking his head, Scam answered her. "No, just powerful ones." Sam nodded her head, knowing that made sense as her husband was very powerful, always making her whims and desires come true just as soon as she asked regardless of them having passed on from this world. And she was so grateful for that, for having him as her husband and none other. "I'm so lucky..." she smiled, looking at him again as he re-adjusted Ava in his arms so she could be comfier while she snoozed. "That I got to have what I lost back..."

"The kids?" he asked, knowing these children were her life. Looking at him with a blush and adoration on her face, Sam reached out and touched his arm. "The kids and you," she said, making him smile. Smiling back at him, Sam leaned her head on his strong shoulder happily as they continued walking, nearly at their mansion by now. She smiled, and nuzzled her face against his broad form when suddenly she thought she heard familiar voices. Voices that she hadn't heard in a year. Voices that belonged to her best friends.

Her eyes snapping open, Sam gasped when she saw them both right there, near her husband's and her mansion. Both Clover and Alex were there, looking at the mansion with sad eyes. And Sam wondered why they were looking so sad when she realized that today was Tim and her one- hundred-and-first marriage anniversary as it was Halloween again.

And the sorrow on her friends' faces became obvious. They hadn't seen her for a year and must think that she had disappeared in that mansion on that mission they had had last year. But it wasn't true and they had no reason to be upset as she was safe and happier than ever. Wanting them to know that, Sam smiled and moved closer to them as she called out to them when she was close enough. "Hey you guys! I'm here! I'm okay!" she said, grinning in joy at seeing them after so long and to finally get to show her family to them. They were going to just love Ava and Natalia. And after she explained to them what she had learned, she knew they were going to adore her husband as well.

Smiling happily, she stopped right across from them and carefully held her baby up. "Hey, you guys, over here!" she called excitedly. She could not wait to hear them tell her how cute her little twin daughters were and how they looked so much like her Tim and her.

But a moment later, she was left brought back to reality when her friends never saw her nor heard her and just looked at the house again and talked amongst themselves about how much they missed her and how Tim Scam and her must have died brutal deaths in that mansion just like all others who entered, while tears rolled down their cheeks.

And she stopped right there and closed her eyes as a sad frown formed on her lips and she remembered what she had forgotten in the happiness of seeing her best friends. She was dead. Clover and Alex would not be able to see her or her kids. Her face fell as she opened her eyes and looked at them standing there with her dead heart breaking in her chest. She felt sadness and loss but she felt even sadder knowing this was all her fault essentially.

If she had just accepted and listened to her husband before, none of them would be dead now. She knew that Clover and Alex had been around before, in her last life as Clovera and Alexandria, as her best friends one hundred years ago. If she had just not screwed up as badly as she had then they would have seen Ava and Natalia, her husband, and her life with them.

Tears fell from her eyes as her brain cursed at her for causing her children to never get to meet women who were close enough to her to be their aunts. And she kept crying as she thought about all the moments her friends, her sisters would never be around for when she suddenly felt a pair of strong, warm hands on her shoulders and heard her husband speaking. "What's wrong?"

Hearing his question and realizing her had seen her tears, Sam hastily tried to wipe her tears away because this was all her fault and she didn't want him to feel badly, but he just came in front of her and stopped her hand from rubbing at her face incessantly to erase her tears. Pushing her hand aside, he wiped away her tears himself and looked at her in concern. "Tell me Samantha," he said urgingly, looking her in the eye even though she was trying to hide from him. "You know I can't bear to see tears in your eyes."

Sighing, Sam nodded knowing if she didn't tell him why she was upset he'd just blame himself, something she never wanted. "My friends..." she said, looking at him sadly. "My parents..." she bit her lip in despair as she kept looking at him. "They'll never see me or my family...will they?" she asked, her voice saying that she knew the answer to that was no. And when his eyes widened Sam knew he got what her issue was. Her tears came back and she shook her head bitterly. "They'll never get to see anything," she said as she kept crying.

Looking down at her, Scam bit his cheek. "Well it took me one hundred years to become able to pass as a human," he said leaving her to nod. "I know," she said smiling faintly. "I know they can see you if you want them too," she said remembering he was able to appear to the human world and had practice of doing that for years. "They can see the children too..." he said, looking at her with a small nod. "They are part of me." Smiling a little wider, Sam nodded again. "That makes sense," she said before her frown came back and she sighed heavily. "Then it's just me who...they'll never see."

Shaking his head, Scam stroked her hair and smiled. "Not NEVER Sam," he said firmly. "In one hundred years, you'll be nearly human jut like me." Glancing back at him, Sam blinked slowly. "I will?" she asked, thinking that speciality was only his, but when he nodded she realized it was true and a small smile formed on her lips, but it was a sad one. "Yes but..." she sighed. "In one hundred years Clover and Alex will be...gone." She sighed again, shaking her head decisively. "They won't live to see me," she said, her eyes going teary again as she was about to cry all over again when he said something that made her breath hitch in her lungs.

"You won't have to wait that long...just to be seen."

Her head flying up, Sam stared at him in shock. "Wh-what?" she asked, bewildered. Smiling at her, Scam looked at her thoughtfully. "You want them to see you right? So they know you're okay and safe and sound?" His smile widened. "You want them to know you're happy, right?" Sam nodded her head knowing that was what she wanted more than anything. Nodding his head at her, he handed her their second child before holding his arms out to her.

"Come here," he said and Sam entered his embrace. Turning her around so that he was holding her from behind and she was facing her friends, he closed his eyed for a second before whispering in her ear. "Now call them," he said.

Blinking her eyes, Sam didn't understand why he was telling her to when they hadn't heard her the last time but she called out to them anyway. "Clover, Alex!" she called out loudly.

And a second later her eyes went wide when she saw them both look right where she was standing and gasp in shock.

"Oh my God..." Alex said, exchanging glances with Clover who stood with wide eyes at her side. "Did you...did you see that?" Alex asked excitedly, tugging at Clover's arm as Clover nodded her head rigorously letting her know she hadn't been the only one to see Sam, Tim Scam and two little baby girls that looked like they belonged to them as it was obvious from just one glance for a moment before they faded away.

Smiles of pure joy formed on their faces as their minds that had been restless and their hearts which had been broken for a year finally felt at ease. Whatever had happened, Sam was still around and she was happy and she was with Sca-Tim and had little, newborn children and a family with him. She was happy and safe and not alone. And they had just witnessed that with their own eyes.

Looking at Alex, Clover spoke in a joyful whisper. "Maybe..." she said, smiling. "We'll see her again after all." Nodding her head and looking back at Clover, Alex smiled widely. "I think we just might," she said before they both gave one last glance to the mansion and turned and walked away with their smiles still on their faces.

And once they were gone, Sam turned around and looked at her husband with pure shock on her features. "How..." she breathed out, alarmed. "How'd you do that?" Smirking at his wife, Scam tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "The power of love, remember?" he said, reminding her of what he often told her. His smirk widening, he spoke to her in a firm whisper. "You never know what it can achieve...until it happens."

Sam smiled and nodded in agreement as she felt her little girls moving in her arms. And she didn't need to think twice to know it was true.

Smiling happily, Sam stepped close to her husband and leaned into him as she placed a kiss upon his lips. Smiling against her mouth, Scam kissed her back passionately and wrapped his arms around her, holding his family close to him as the four figures, flickered and faded away into the sunset.

* * *

><p>It's done! Finally! Stupid school for making it take this long. GRRR.<p>

Anyway, so there you guys have it, my _**Halloween 2011**_ story. :)

I know this is long but it actually didn't feel long when I was writing it lol. *shrugs* :P

**PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE REVIEW!** So I know if you liked it lol and if I should continue to write Halloween fics no matter how hard school makes it. :D

Also, this fic is one of those which feels like there could _possibly be a sequel _soooooooo** if anyone is interested at all, just tell me in a REVIEW.**

:D:D:D:D:D:D I'm thrilled I finally finished this. I'm grinning lol, though my fingers ache so...review for me so that they can be happy and stop wanting to kill me. :P lol

Okay gonna shut my trap now and go work on my Christmas story! But I am eagerly waiting to see _**your responses **_this fic! I hope it's liked well. :P

Love,

Cresenta's Lark :)


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